back to article SpamTorte botnet gets turbo-charged

A revamped version of the Torte botnet malware is turning insecure CMS servers into spam-spewing zombies. SpamTorte 2.0 is a powerful, multi-layered Spambot that is capable of running large-scale spam campaigns while cleverly masking itself to avoid detection, security firm Verint warns. The SpamTorte botnet relies on …

  1. This post has been deleted by its author

  2. Voland's right hand Silver badge

    Major nuisance

    This is the source of the major spike "FedEx Invoice" spam over the last two weeks.

    Relatively primitive, but as it is using "legitimate" servers it is not covered by most blacklists and has a fairly high rate of getting through.

    1. waldo kitty

      Re: Major nuisance

      that crap can't "get through" with proper filtering and blocking in place... i love watching my SMTP servers catching them, issuing block commands and leaving their traffic stuck in DROP hell chewing up their resources waiting on responses that will never come ;)

      1. Charles 9

        Re: Major nuisance

        They're actually getting pretty clever at getting around filters, or at least gaming them to the point you risk false positives and losing a legitimate e-mail in the process.

  3. Magani
    Unhappy

    Oh Dear...

    And here's me thinking that all the 'Hot Chicks looking for Sax(sic)' emails turning up in my junk folder really did want me for my body.

    1. Paul Stimpson

      Re: Oh Dear...

      You mean they're not real? They said I've become a lesbian and all these hot girls want me.

  4. WibbleMe

    So does your server check for HELO, SPF and DKIM? If not fake spam emails are your own fault.

    Also when are we going to go after the financiers of spammers, that is the only core way of killing spam.

    1. Charles 9

      Most of the backers are protected by hostile sovereignty, meaning they're impossible to apprehend. Some campaigns are even state-run-in-disguise: acts of covert cyberwarfare complete with plausible deniability. Again, good luck getting the perpetrators to stop because in that case they ARE the State and sovereign by definition.

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