Lycos Goes to War with Spammers

zippyjuan · 12-02-2004, 01:32 PM

Last Updated: Thursday, 2 December, 2004, 11:26 GMT

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Anti-spam plan overwhelms sites

The screensaver uses idle computers to tackle spam sites
A plan to bump up the bandwidth bills of spammers seems to be getting out of control.
Earlier this week Lycos Europe released a screensaver that bombards spam websites with data to try to increase the cost of running such sites.

But analysis shows that, in some cases, spam websites are being completely overwhelmed by the traffic being directed their way.

The Lycos plan has also come under fire for encouraging vigilantism.

Attack pattern

Lycos Europe's "Make love not spam" campaign was intended as a way for users to fight back against the avalanche of junk mail messages coming their way.

Participants were encouraged to download the Lycos screensaver which, when their PC was idle, would then send lots of data traffic to websites that peddle the goods and services mentioned in spam messages.

Lycos said the idea was to get the spam sites running at 95% capacity and generate big bandwidth bills for the spammers behind the sites.

The screensaver has reportedly been downloaded more than 90,000 times since it was launched.

But monitoring firm Netcraft has analysed response times for three of the sites the screensaver targets and has found that the campaign is being too successful.

Some sites are being knocked out by the anti-spam campaign
Two of the sites being bombarded by data have been completely knocked offline. One other site has been responding to requests only intermittently as it struggles to cope with the traffic the screensaver is pointing its way.

The downing of the sites could dent Lycos claims that what it is doing does not amount to a distributed denial of service attack (DDoS). In such attacks thousands of computers bombard sites with data in an attempt to overwhelm them.

Finnish anti-virus firm F-Secure advised against using the screensaver in case of legal problems.

Currently laws in many countries do not explicitly outlaw DDoS attacks but many nations are re-drafting computer use laws to make them specific offences.

Lycos Europe has yet to comment on this latest development in its anti-spam campaign.

More here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4061375.stm

Showtime · 12-02-2004, 02:05 PM

This makes so happy.

-j

bachviet · 12-02-2004, 04:19 PM

I saw that earlier today and I think it's cool.

maruko · 12-02-2004, 11:05 PM

does anyone know where else we can download this?

zippyjuan · 12-02-2004, 11:43 PM

It looks like they took it down. It isn't even listed on their website now ( www.lycos.co.uk ).

zippyjuan · 12-04-2004, 01:33 AM

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Freeze on anti-spam campaign

This holding page has replaced the original site
A campaign by Lycos Europe to target spam-related websites appears to have been put on hold.
Earlier this week the company released a screensaver that bombarded the sites with data to try to bump up the running costs of the websites.

But the site hosting the screensaver now displays a pink graphic and the words "Stay tuned".

No one at Lycos was available for comment on latest developments in its controversial anti-spam campaign.

Data storm

Lycos Europe's "Make love not spam" campaign was intended as a way for users to fight back against the mountain of junk mail flooding inboxes.

People were encouraged to download the screensaver which, when their PC was idle, would then send lots of data to sites that peddle the goods and services mentioned in spam messages.

Lycos said the idea was to get the spam sites running at 95% capacity and generate big bandwidth bills for the spammers behind the sites.

But the plan has proved controversial.

Offline sites

Monitoring firm Netcraft analysed response times for some of the sites targeted by the screensaver and found that a number were completely knocked offline.

Attacking a spammer's website is like poking a grizzly bear sleeping in your back garden with a pointy stick

Graham Cluley, Sophos
The downing of the sites could dent Lycos claims that what it is doing does not amount to a distributed denial of service attack.

In such attacks thousands of computers bombard sites with data in an attempt to overwhelm them.

Laws in many countries do not explicitly outlaw such attacks but many nations are re-drafting computer use laws to make them specific offences.

Lycos Europe now appears to have put the plan on hold. The site hosting the screensaver currently shows a holding page, with the words, "Stay tuned".

The numerical internet address of the site has also changed. This is likely to be in response to spammers who have reportedly redirected traffic from their sites back to the Lycos screensaver site.

The campaign has come under fire from some corners of the web.

Many discussion groups have said that it set a dangerous precedent and could incite vigilantism.

"Attacking a spammer's website is like poking a grizzly bear sleeping in your back garden with a pointy stick," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos.

"Not only is this screensaver similar in its approach to a potentially illegal distributed denial of service attack, but it also is in danger of turning innocent computer users into vigilantes, who may not be prepared for whatever retaliation the spammers care to dream up."

12-02-2004, 01:32 PM	#1
zippyjuan Picture of the Day Guru Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Sunny San Diego Posts: 8,756	Lycos Goes to War with Spammers Last Updated: Thursday, 2 December, 2004, 11:26 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Anti-spam plan overwhelms sites The screensaver uses idle computers to tackle spam sites A plan to bump up the bandwidth bills of spammers seems to be getting out of control. Earlier this week Lycos Europe released a screensaver that bombards spam websites with data to try to increase the cost of running such sites. But analysis shows that, in some cases, spam websites are being completely overwhelmed by the traffic being directed their way. The Lycos plan has also come under fire for encouraging vigilantism. Attack pattern Lycos Europe's "Make love not spam" campaign was intended as a way for users to fight back against the avalanche of junk mail messages coming their way. Participants were encouraged to download the Lycos screensaver which, when their PC was idle, would then send lots of data traffic to websites that peddle the goods and services mentioned in spam messages. Lycos said the idea was to get the spam sites running at 95% capacity and generate big bandwidth bills for the spammers behind the sites. The screensaver has reportedly been downloaded more than 90,000 times since it was launched. But monitoring firm Netcraft has analysed response times for three of the sites the screensaver targets and has found that the campaign is being too successful. Some sites are being knocked out by the anti-spam campaign Two of the sites being bombarded by data have been completely knocked offline. One other site has been responding to requests only intermittently as it struggles to cope with the traffic the screensaver is pointing its way. The downing of the sites could dent Lycos claims that what it is doing does not amount to a distributed denial of service attack (DDoS). In such attacks thousands of computers bombard sites with data in an attempt to overwhelm them. Finnish anti-virus firm F-Secure advised against using the screensaver in case of legal problems. Currently laws in many countries do not explicitly outlaw DDoS attacks but many nations are re-drafting computer use laws to make them specific offences. Lycos Europe has yet to comment on this latest development in its anti-spam campaign. More here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4061375.stm __________________ I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz

12-02-2004, 02:05 PM	#2
Showtime Lakers fanatic Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: L.A. ->SoCal<- O.C. Posts: 7,338	This makes so happy. -j __________________ NBA REPORT 10-11/ The 3-Peat! 1948 1949 1950 1952 1953 1954 1972 1980 1982 1985 1987 1988 2000 2001 2002 2009 2010 Reigning NBA CHAMPS!

12-02-2004, 04:19 PM	#3
bachviet What's Da Pho*? Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: SoCal (714) Posts: 13,296	I saw that earlier today and I think it's cool. __________________ Dell Dimension 9200 \| Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz) \| 4x1GB DDR2 \| 256MB nVidia GeForce 8800GT Dell Studio 17 \| Intel Core i7-720QM (1.6GHz) \| 2x2GB DDR3 1066MHz \| 1GHz ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 Intel P4-C 3.0GHz \| ECS 865PE-A \| 3x512MB PC3200 \| 128MB PNY GeForce 6600GT

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12-02-2004, 11:05 PM	#4
maruko Lieutenant Junior Grade Join Date: May 2000 Location: UCLA Posts: 72	does anyone know where else we can download this?

12-02-2004, 11:43 PM	#5
zippyjuan Picture of the Day Guru Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Sunny San Diego Posts: 8,756	It looks like they took it down. It isn't even listed on their website now ( www.lycos.co.uk ).

12-04-2004, 01:33 AM	#6
zippyjuan Picture of the Day Guru Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Sunny San Diego Posts: 8,756	E-mail this to a friend Printable version Freeze on anti-spam campaign This holding page has replaced the original site A campaign by Lycos Europe to target spam-related websites appears to have been put on hold. Earlier this week the company released a screensaver that bombarded the sites with data to try to bump up the running costs of the websites. But the site hosting the screensaver now displays a pink graphic and the words "Stay tuned". No one at Lycos was available for comment on latest developments in its controversial anti-spam campaign. Data storm Lycos Europe's "Make love not spam" campaign was intended as a way for users to fight back against the mountain of junk mail flooding inboxes. People were encouraged to download the screensaver which, when their PC was idle, would then send lots of data to sites that peddle the goods and services mentioned in spam messages. Lycos said the idea was to get the spam sites running at 95% capacity and generate big bandwidth bills for the spammers behind the sites. But the plan has proved controversial. Offline sites Monitoring firm Netcraft analysed response times for some of the sites targeted by the screensaver and found that a number were completely knocked offline. Attacking a spammer's website is like poking a grizzly bear sleeping in your back garden with a pointy stick Graham Cluley, Sophos The downing of the sites could dent Lycos claims that what it is doing does not amount to a distributed denial of service attack. In such attacks thousands of computers bombard sites with data in an attempt to overwhelm them. Laws in many countries do not explicitly outlaw such attacks but many nations are re-drafting computer use laws to make them specific offences. Lycos Europe now appears to have put the plan on hold. The site hosting the screensaver currently shows a holding page, with the words, "Stay tuned". The numerical internet address of the site has also changed. This is likely to be in response to spammers who have reportedly redirected traffic from their sites back to the Lycos screensaver site. The campaign has come under fire from some corners of the web. Many discussion groups have said that it set a dangerous precedent and could incite vigilantism. "Attacking a spammer's website is like poking a grizzly bear sleeping in your back garden with a pointy stick," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Not only is this screensaver similar in its approach to a potentially illegal distributed denial of service attack, but it also is in danger of turning innocent computer users into vigilantes, who may not be prepared for whatever retaliation the spammers care to dream up."

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