Spam news

A report from Websense indicates that 95% of user-generated posts on websites are spam or malicious, 71% of sites with malicious code are legitimate sites that have been compromised, and 81% of emails during the second half of 2009 contained a malicious link.

Three security researchers from FireEye have disabled the Mega-D botnet by taking down its command-and-control servers.

More than 1,000 websites that claim to sell cut-price designer goods have been shut down. The sites, which advertise brands including Ugg boots, Tiffany jewellery and Links of London, were removed by the Metropolitan Police.

As email filters get better at detecting spam, spammers are increasingly turning to other venues.

The security firm Fireeye has reportedly taken down the Mega-D botnet by launching a coordinated attack on its command-and-control servers.

A report from Messagelabs suggests that nearly 88% of all spam originates from botnets, accounting for 150 billion email messages per day.

The SEC has filed suit against CellCyte Genetics, charging that the executives of the company misled investors. A stock promoter paid by the company is also facing charges related to an illegal fax and email spam campaign promoting it.

CEO Mark Uselton of Legacy Trading has appealed against a decision to fine him and expel him and his company from the securities industry. Uselton’s father and cousin agreed earlier this year to pay nearly $4 million in fines and penalties in connection with a pump-and-dump penny stock scheme.

A Virginia software developer has pleaded guilty to charges related to creating and marketing software designed to send bulk commercial e-mail messages. David S. Patton pleaded guilty Tuesday to aiding and abetting violations of the CAN-SPAM Act by Alan Ralsky.

MessageLabs reports that use of URL shorteners by spammers has exploded, with 2% of all spam now featuring shortened URLs.

The Waledac worm is gearing up for a spam campaign related to the July 4 holiday. At least 18 domain names have been registered related to fireworks and Independence Day that will be used to trick people into downloading malware.

Google reports that spam levels are up once again, and spammers are re-using old techniques such as image spam, perhaps in an attempt to probe the effectiveness of spam filters.

Security experts report a rise in spam originating from botnets, with botnets accounting for 80% of all spam sent.

A study shows that spam made up 90.4 percent of all e-mail traffic in June, with botnets accounting for over 80 percent of unsolicited messages.

Alan Ralsky pleaded guilty on Monday to running a multi-million dollar international stock fraud scam powered by junk e-mail. Ralsky and his son-in-law face possible prison terms and fines of up to $1 million.