Killing Network Spam Zombies Made Easy   - 2,788 Views,

Summary: SpamButcher has just published a series on how to kill network spam zombies. As readers know, the Federal Trade Commission recently issued an open plea to ISPs to get rid of the spam zombies on their networks. And even though a ...

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SpamButcher has just published a series on how to kill network spam zombies. As readers know, the Federal Trade Commission recently issued an open plea to ISPs to get rid of the spam zombies on their networks. And even though a mock trial of IT professionals found that ISPs should not be held responsible for policing zombies, responsible networks know that this is something which needs to be done, and which can actually make an impact on the spam and zombie problem.

SpamButcher has decided to make this easier on networks by publishing a how-to guide for removing zombies from your network. Good for them! It contains such advice on how to determine if you have zombies on your network, how to isolate and locate them, and how to “actually kill the zombie”.

Here’s what SpamButcher has to say about it:

“At any point in time there are millions of hacked computers, sending massive amounts of junk email throughout the world without their owner’s knowledge or consent.

These computers are known as spam zombies. By using spam zombies, spammers can send ever increasing amounts of junk email while forcing others to bear the cost. Zombie systems may also be used for other nefarious activities such as denial of service attacks.

The anti-spam software provider, SpamButcher (http://www.spambutcher.com) has released a document detailing a series of steps to help identify and neutralize spam zombie systems.

“Killing Spam Zombies Made Easy” is available for viewing free of charge at http://www.spambutcher.com/spamzombies/

The guide breaks down the process of detecting and removing spam zombies into a few simple steps:

Detecting unexplained network activity Identifying suspect systems Capturing and evaluating network traffic Killing the zombie Decreasing the risk of future infections

The document is geared towards people responsible for small networks of up to about 50 computers. Small companies often lack the needed tools and expertise to readily identify zombies and other threats. By using freely available network utilities, the document can help locate hacked systems without needing to purchase additional software.

The article focuses on the simplest, easiest to understand approach to the problem as opposed to the most efficient. Users with a basic understanding of computers and networking should be able to complete the steps.
In addition to being responsible for a large portion of spam sent, zombies burden networks with excessive traffic and cause end-users’ computers to perform poorly. More than ever, it’s important for those in charge of networks of all sizes to identify and eliminate any zombie systems.”

So, those of you who want to identify and eliminate your zombies, read SpamButcher’s tutorial here.

Killing Network Spam Zombies Made Easy

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Previous Article « Care and Feeding of Your Spam Filter (Train, Train, Train)
Read Next Article » Free Internet Identity Theft Protection DVD

Read more:

»  New Zombies Predicted to Increase Spam

»  The Plague of the Zombies - An Open Letter from the FTC to ISPs and Networks

»  ISP Not Responsible for Policing Zombies Says Jury of ITs Peers

»  New Service Alerts You to Zombies On Your Computer

For additional similar stories check out our archives on Good Guys, Spam, Spam Blockers

NOTE: We never, ever, ever will recommend any product or service on this site that we have not regularly used ourselves and do not wholeheartedly believe in. That said, in some cases after being very pleased with a product or service, we may enter into a relationship with the provider of that product or service such that if someone purchases that product or service based on our recommendation, we may get a small payment. Such payments go towards the upkeep of the Internet Patrol.

 

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 This article first appeared on 8/8/2005
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