Microsoft shuts down spam behemoth Rustock, reduces worldwide spam by 39%

Switched ^ | 3/18/11 | Sebastian Anthony

[Vigilanteman]

Does this mean we won’t get any more spam advertising p3n1$ enlargement?

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Excellent!

Must be why I’m not getting any Viagra spam e-mails anymore...

[Paleo Conservative]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE

[bcsco]

If you want to prevent your own computers from becoming botnet zombies, make sure you install anti-malware software, such as Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.

Good advice. Malwarebytes blocked suspicious activity for me today. I was on a golf equipment site looking at Callaway X-22 and Diabo irons when I got the block message. I left there in a hurry. And, no, it wasn't Callaway's website...

[PLMerite]

“Does this mean we won’t get any more spam advertising p3n1$ enlargement?”

All except the ones from the girlfriend’s email addy. /humor

[KarlInOhio]

Microsoft quickly seized some of these machines located in the U.S. for further analysis,

Although I like the spammers being taken down, I wonder when Microsoft was granted general police powers? Maybe Obama didn't read the fine print in the license agreement when he installed Windows on a White House computer.

[Billthedrill]

Well, that may explain the message I just got in my email: "We may be out of business but you're till hung like a gerbil."

How do they know? Is there a database somewhere?

[Noumenon]

Must be why I’m not getting any Viagra spam e-mails anymore...

I was gettting a bunch of that garbage sent from what looked like my own email addy. Someone's address book must've gotten hijacked. I sit behind a SonicWALL with CFS and run AVG Pro on all my workstations. Defense in depth...

[Noumenon]

That should have been CGS, not CFS. Spending too much time on the big one today...

[precisionshootist]

“Microsoft quickly seized some of these machines located in the U.S. for further analysis,

Although I like the spammers being taken down, I wonder when Microsoft was granted general police powers? Maybe Obama didn’t read the fine print in the license agreement when he installed Windows on a White House computer. “

That was my first thought also!! Nice they stopped the spam but since when can a business “seize” anything?

[chopperman]

Lately, I've been getting a lot of spam where the subject is cut up.

Ex:

Cert ifie dToEnjo yCu tRate sOnTa blet s

[GreenAccord]

Oht hAtW asme. So Rrya boU t th at.

[Bob]

Microsoft quickly seized some of these machines located in the U.S. for further analysis,

Although I like the spammers being taken down, I wonder when Microsoft was granted general police powers? Maybe Obama didn't read the fine print in the license agreement when he installed Windows on a White House computer.

I'd suspect that it's a case of sloppy reporting. In all likelihood, law enforcement agencies seized the computers and then turned them over to Microsoft for the analysis.

[snowsislander]

Here's a link to the much informative Microsoft Technet posting on this same event: Taking Down Botnets: Microsoft and the Rustock Botnet.

[razorback-bert]

Oh no, what will the world do without natural male enhancement.

[SaxxonWoods]

“Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of spam where the subject is cut up.

Ex:

Cert ifie dToEnjo yCu tRate sOnTa blet s”

They do that to defeat defenses that flag certain words and send the message to the spam folder.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks LibWhacker.

[ShadowAce]

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

That’s a popular tactic....