Internet Defense Technologies

Below is a real life email.

I got this email from a “friend” of mine.

When I called her, because I had a feeling that it was bogus, she told me someone had sent that from what appeared to be her email, but in fact it was a fraud.

This is a classic case of e-dentity theft. E-dentity theft is similar to identity theft, only it is where a person “clones” your email and sends an email that appears to be from you, but in fact, is not. It is dangerous in that if well written your friends and family could be taken advantage of because they think you are in trouble and need help.

ALWAYS report e-dentity theft to your local authorities. It is a serious crime and will continue to escalate until enough pressure is put on our legislature to really do something about it.

Please i want you to know that I’m writing this with tears in my eyes,i and my family came down here in SCOTLAND UNITED KINGDOM for a  short vacation unfortunately we got mugged at gun point last night at the park close, close to the hotel where we lodged.All cash,credit cards and cell got stolen.

I’ve been to the embassy and the Police here but they’re not responding to the matter effectively and the problem now is that,our flight leaves in 3hours but we’re having problems settling the hotel bills and our return ticket.The hotel manager won’t let us leave until we settle the hotel bills, so i need your help in getting back home. Need you to loan me some money for hotel bills and return ticket (1,810Pounds)which is 2,200 US dollars, Now am freaked out, don’t know what to do.Please reply and let me know if you can have the money wired to me as a loan through western union money transfer. Please use my name and the address given below to send the money and i promise to pay back as soon as i return.

Here is the information you need to send the money:

NAME    :  LEFT BLANK TO PROTECT E-DENITY
STATE   : Cambridge Cambridgeshire CODE LEFT OFF TO PROTECT E-DENITY
COUNTRY :United Kingdon

As soon as it has been done, kindly get back to me with the confirmation number. Let me know if you are heading to the WU outlet now???

Please how soon can you get the money sent?? Await to hear from you

The better question is do Spammers try to take advantage of anything that captivates the American attention?

The obvious answer: YES!!!

Get the idea that these guys are like the evil underworld version of advertisers. If they can get your attention, then by god, they will! Shy of running decapitation videos, they will stop at nothing. Although, that may soon become a gray area…

One security specialist from ZScaler, Michael Sutton, (who by the way, has an uncharacteristic resemblance to the dad from the Movie “The Incredibles”, so, how can you not believe him), stated something to the effect that Spammers who are targeting Olympic fans look so bonafide it is hard to tell that you are being hit with Malware. While that statement may make one feel less feebleminded about the fact that they foolishly got infected with something it nonetheless doesn’t change the fact that it is rampant and very dangerous for the end user.

Ultimately, this is a problem that has to be dealt with in the same way any vicious crime is dealt with, severity, incarceration and possibly public hangings, okay the last might be a little rough, but until then the best defense is a good offense.

Don’t download ANYTHING that you don’t FULLY understand. If you have an IT person make sure you have the latest Malware detection and the most up to the minute Spam solution to prevent the door from opening in the first place. If you are your own IT person talk to a friend, get on message boards, and do your research on real solutions to the problem of Spam!

In the past year the number of particles of Spam has increased so substantially it has become a major crisis in the security world.

One of the major issues with Spam is that much of the American public don’t even understand that they are in effect becoming “zombie computers” (a computer that is basically being run by some type of software that has “taken over” the actual computer and now turns out email etc that isn’t actually from the person who owns the computer) for the big Spammers.

Many Americans log onto a site rather innocently only to have their computer become a drone (like a worker bee in a hive, in this case used to illustrate the computer then is “working” for a spammer without the knowledge of the owner) for such large scale botnets as “Zeus” (a designer name for a type of spam/virus) or “Koobface” (another designer name for a type of Spam/virus). Unbeknownst, they become a carrier of viruses, spyware etc.

In real terms, it would be like someone carrying the HEPC virus, not knowing they had it and walking around French kissing everyone they came into contact with – graphic – I know, but nonetheless illustrative.

The recent increase in this doesn’t appear to have a level off point in sight, which is a major problem for the hi-tech industry at large. If the Spam problem continues on this trend the need for anti spam, anti virus, anti Malware solutions could explode.

Dale Begg-Smith competes for a second time in the Olympic Games.

He took home the Gold in 2006 as an Australian Mogul Skier though he hails from Canada (another subject for discontent).

Begg raised more notoriety for his business dealings than for the fact that he took home the Gold. A fact that clearly left him with bitter feelings toward the media and possibly his own fortune made before becoming an Olympiad.

Now that he is back for the 2010 Olympics new questions about his very decency are being raised. Is he a Spammer? Did he pay his way to the Olympics both times on Spyware? Has he been instrumental in propagating Malware on computers?

More basically, if he were Miss Universe would he have his title stripped because of engaging in illegal activities if in fact the alleged illegal activities are factual?

He drives a $300,000.00 car and can pay for anything he needs where his training is concerned, unlike most Olympic hopefuls who have to work tirelessly just to keep up with basic essentials until hopefully they take home the Gold and can make a living via endorsements.

Ultimately, if he is a Spammer, Spyware, Malware propagator, does his perceived odious behavior have any bearing on his mogul skiing and any Olympic medals he might take home?

Isn’t there some irony that he went to Australia, the 1800’s criminal colony for the Brits to perform his alleged illegal activities?

Maybe SPAM would offer him an endorsement:)

If you get this email and you actually are a Western Union customer, go directly to the website to check it out, but don’t click on the link.  This is a phishing attempt:

Dear Customer,

This is your official notification from Western Union. Your account has been limited due to a login attempt failure. To remove this limitation, you have to confirm your information on file with us. To continue, visit our website by clicking here >>

If you do not confirm your information, your Western Union online account will be permanently suspended and deleted from our system.

We are continually improving our website to better serve you. Be sure to check back with us often as we add exciting new services to meet your financial needs.

If you have questions or need assistance, our customer service team is here to help. Just visit our website.
Be sure to remember and protect your Username and Password. You will need them next time you sign in to our website.

___________________
DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE.

There is a new trend developing of email spam messages getting some filters that have no message text, just an MP3 file attached.

I have even heard some with the URL being said over heavy breathing (porn site you think?).

From what we have seen there is nothing dangerous with the MP3 file itself, but you don’t want to visit those websites.  Delete the file, you will be fine, nothing critical will be lost.

There are so many problems with service based internet issues today it’s a wonder anyone still emails! From Spam, to Malware, to Viruses, Phishing attempts and on and on it is a barrage of funk.

Imagine walking down the street and people yelling at you to buy this or try that or whatever other random comments real life Spam would consist of. Or if you went into a department store to buy something and no one was there to charge you for your purchases. I’d walk out and never go back!

As was recently announced Google’s Postini was shut down preventing many people from getting emails for hours and some for days.

Service support, per Tweets was nil. Which only adds to the irritation because if there is anything worse than having problems with internet and mail it is having problems with trying to resolve those problems!

There are REAL solutions to Spam and the host of other internet related filth out there!

Total Mail Defense (TMD) – not to be confused with Total Male Enhancement – is one of those providers!

I have had great success, uninterrupted, by using this service. There is no “Spam folder” to have to deal with, it is set up for real people who have real lives that don’t need extra work created by a “solution”.

There is no such thing, especially from @yahoo.com:

From: UNCC (tmsablan@yahoo.com)
Subject: REFUND PAYMENT FROM UNCC

United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) In Affiliation with Barrack Obama Campaign to Assist Scammed Individuals In The Settlement of Disputes through Trust Credit Bank.

Attention: Beneficiary

I wish to congratulate you for the approval of the compensation payment of $500,000.00 USD by this commission. The United Nation Compensation Commission (UNCC) was created in 1991 as a subsidiary organ of the UN Security Council. Its mandate is to retrieve lost funds through various law agents and also to process claims and pay compensation for losses and damages suffered as a direct result of Internet Fraud.
The UNCC in conjunction with the Barrack Obama Campaign on the 12th of October 2008 organized a confederation meeting which ended 2 weeks later with the UN Secretary General. This meeting was first held on the 8th of April 2003 by the then secretary to the UN. You can view this page for your perusal then do the needful by contacting the paying agent accordingly.
(http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/ik344.doc.htm).

This email is directed to all individuals that have been scammed in all parts of the world. In reference to the just concluded meeting, the UNCC in affiliation with Barrack Obama Campaign for Global Economic Crises eradication have agreed to compensate them with categorical payment sum of $500,000.00 each.

Trust Credit Bank(TCB) will handle the transfer of the fund through their Online Transfer System (E-Transfer). Your payment file has been forwarded to them so you should contact the bank today as soon as you receive this letter of notification.

Contact info:

Bank: Trust Credit Bank
Contact Person: Mr. Peter Brown
Temporary Emails: trustcredit@gmail.com or trustcredit1@gmail.com

DO REMEMBER YOUR PAYMENT REFERENCE: BR/FMWH/1001/09 AND IF YOU HAVE IN THE PAST MADE ANY FORM OF PAYMENT FOR THE TRANSFER OF THIS FUNDS, PLEASE DO STATE IT FOR OUR RECORD PURPOSE AS WE HAVE A MANDATE TO REPORT BACK TO THE PRESIDENCY THE PROGRESS OF THIS PAYMENT.

Mrs. Karen B. Magolie
Secretary

It seems like a ridiculous question.

I didn’t know it was Spam.

It looked legitimate.

I thought it was from my aunt Gertrude.

I needed to lose weight and it looked promising.

The endless list goes on and on, but the truth is marketing. You were a recipient of well planned marketing. No matter what you think the reason you responded to the Spam was the reality is you were “hooked”!

The subject line or that is was from someone who looked familiar, whatever it was you took hold of the line. That is what marketing does. Good. Bad. Legal. Illegal. All the same, it hooks you.

Would you open the front door of your house to someone who maybe looked like someone you know? NO!

If you start looking at your email as a real life communication channel, like your front door, you would think twice and stay away from the curiosity that is often just bait for bigger troubles!

Unfortunately, the answer is yes.

Often times when there is economic strife people will look for a get rich quick scheme, or buy more Lottery tickets than usual, or look for a great deal on something they are looking to buy.

In today’s economic and electronic times this means more Spam, more Spam, more Spam.

Spammers are predatory in that they don’t care who they solicit or what they solicit. They only care about their own bottom line. Not the American way, certainly not the way of a Republic, but it seems to be the growing trend in today’s modern world, an “all for one, one for none” type of an attitude, which helped with the economic collapse the world is experiencing today.

Recent surveys from the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) suggest that 80% of consumers surveyed after visiting a Spam site or responding to a Spam message in the U.S. don’t think that it is possible to get a virus, mal-ware etc., from such a visit.

This “never going to happen to me” attitude is problematic because in fact it likely will happen to anyone clicking through to a dangerous site solicited by Spam.

Further, according to the survey, most people who think that they cannot be infected are the best targets because they don’t pay attention and look for problems in their system and therefore are in a “dangerous” position.