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Black Cluster
March 22nd, 2005, 03:12 PM
So, IBM is to launch a new service (FairUCE) to crackdown Spamming? Sound pretty cool, the most nice part that IBM is going to utilize a gaint database dedicated to identify computers that have sent spam...

I think this would the mightiest action against Spammin, don't you think so?

Here is the full article:


Source (http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/22/technology/ibm_spam/index.htm)
The Wall Street Journal reports that the new IBM (Research) service, to be known as FairUCE, uses a giant database to identify computers that are sending spam.

The paper reports that, using that database, e-mails coming from a computer on the spam list are sent directly back to the computer, not just the e-mail account, that sent them.

"We're doing it to shut this guy down," Stuart McIrvine, IBM's director of corporate security strategy, told the paper. "Every time he tries to send, he gets slammed again."

While this approach of a spam counter-attack has been available for some time, corporate technology departments have been reluctant to use it, partly because of fears of exposing companies to liabilities if a target is actually innocent of spamming.

This anti-spam offering is IBM's first major foray into the anti-spam market. Its executives argue that trying to capture spam with filters or discard it as quickly as possible isn't enough.

IBM says in a new report that, in February, 76 percent of all e-mails were spam. While its report says that is down from a summer 2004 peak of nearly 95 percent, it is well above levels in February 2004.

IBM will have to be careful not to violate anti-hacking laws, which prohibit gaining unauthorized entry to a remote computer system, even in order to stop it from harming yours, according to the paper. But IBM executives said their service will not violate that law, nor other prohibitions on increasing network traffic under "denial of service" rules.

"Yes, we are adding more traffic to the network, but it is in an effort to cut down the longer-term traffic," said McIrvine.

zencoder
March 22nd, 2005, 05:20 PM
I like this idea, if they adhere to certain rules. I really don't know why that second to last paragraph (in the quote above) is even there. Nothing stated previously indicates that they are doing ANYTHING except sending the SPAM back to the Account of origin and the IP of origin. What the hell does that have to do with gaining unauthorized entry to a remote computer system? Journalistic mental masturbation (i.e. fluff), in my opinion.

But the point...send it all back. Hammer them back, only to the level they are hammering you. That CAN'T be considered a denial of service...because if it is, they are implicating themselves as well. And if it's a zombie system...that should stimulate a reaction on the owners part, which will (hopefully) get the problem fixed.

I think IBM might just make this work...

Black Cluster
March 22nd, 2005, 05:40 PM
Hey zencoder,

Your scenario is just possible, and your points are really important.
I think IBM's preliminary step to foray into the anti-spam market will actually breed a lot of idieas and notions to crackdown on Spamming....

Due to your scenario there would be alot of victims as Spammers may use frged IPs and use Zombies to send Spam... but it is still OK... if you are going to achieve someting might help to fight spam, at least on the long term....

I think IBM's idea will motivate many other companies to take on board such ideas... I hope so, really.

Cheers