14 DAY TRIAL // Security experts are all in frenzy about how a new spamming technique might put an end to email communication as we know it. Writers of malware that turns PCs into zombie spam armies have changed strategy. Previously, hijacked PCs had been set up as mail servers were and used to send out thousands of e-mails per day to everybody, everywhere, basically. Newer versions of the Trojans are having the compromised computers send the spam through their owners' ISPs.
Steve Linford, director of SpamHaus warned that this mass attack is already underway and ISPs in the United States may have already been hit. This could cause big problems for the ISPs and for e-mail delivery in general.
Security vendors have accused anti-spam experts at Spamhaus of hyping a trick that allows spammers to take advantage of Internet service provider mail servers. They claim to be able to solve the problem with their products, have attacked Linford over his comments.
Anti-spam company Postini also released a statement criticizing Linford for overreacting to the recent news that some spam zombies now relay spam through ISP email gateways rather then sending the spam directly to receiving mail servers.
Linford fired back saying that AOL was the first ISP to report an increase in spam, several months ago, caused by this trick. Some of the largest US Internet providers have acknowledged that the issue is a problem, although they insist that email didn't reach critical point temperature yet and all is under control.