Spammers can hid, but they are not invisible. On Dec 10, I invited readers of this blog to send us some Trackbacks to MLX Packages… while I am eager to see this technology used, this was actually a bit of bait.
Our regular MLX spammer bit the bait completely. Within a few days, they triggered 1200 identical Trackback insertions of the same URL. I allowed them to think their tactic worked, but this was all a ruse to get them to stick their spam roach feet in the honey pot, where they left some incriminating and useful bits of information (the spam has been cleansed in one click).
The evidence collected clearly indicates that this spammer is a CDB reader. Lovely.
I have been advised not to bait and taunt spammers, and to allow them to continue their bully like tactics. Fortunately, I did not take this advice, and recently I was approached by a group of white hat trained hackers, the “International Spam Counter Attack Force (SCAF)”. They have tools and techniques I could never understand, but with their help, our Trackback scripts were modified to collect some interesting data from our roach visitor. They people who act as local agents for SCAF have the ability to unleash a series of strikes on this person, their assets, records, etc, and once I give the go ahead, the trigger is set to go off at a random time in the future, maybe today, tomorrow, next week, a few months from now.
Here is the deal- as much as I hate spammers, this is pretty heavy stuff for me. I have 3 days where I can call off the SCAF attack, so if the spammer can step up and contact me, confess, and prove their deeds by sharing:
- the GMT date/time the spam attack begain
- IP(s) used as spoofs
- Full text of the excerpt inserted in the MLX
- The 3rd, 5th, and 8th MLX packages spammed in your attack.
This information is easily available to you, spammer, given the things I know now about your methods.
I am willing to call it off if this spammer can step up like an adult and claim their deeds. I sincerely doubt it will happen, so as a bet, I am willing to send this “person” $100 if they actually step up and confess.. Yes, you can make more money being honest than doing spam work. Why would I offer? Because I know a spammer will not do it.
Thus, this person is left to pulling down the window shades, wondering about every phone call they make, triple checking their wireless phone and net usage, checking their account balances. SCAF is not just an online bunch of geeks, they live where you live, spammer, and have devoted their free time to busting roaches. Plus they enjoy it. Is all of it really worth it to push some stupid phentemrine links that are not going to stick here?
Why not take your technical skill, spammer, and do something productive for the world, instead of wasting the time and energy of busy people with your unwanted, irrelevant, intrusive URL insert attacks?
You have 3 days to decide your future.
note to self: don’t piss off alan…
Woo hoo! Go Alan go!
Having just spent last Sunday cleaning off a bunch of internet gambling comment spam, all I can say is – go get ‘im!
I can’t understand why people get so worked up about spam. I’ve discovered some great products following the links you’re talking about. And phentermine is the best diet pill going — I’ve taken a lot of different kinds of diet pills, sometime sampling seven or eight at the same time, and it’s simply a wonder. It does cause hair loss and marital dysfunctions (if you get me, he he), but I live with my mother… and besides you can buy great pills to deal with those things, too… Just follow these links that enhance otherwise unremarkable weblogs.
I am not myself a sender of spam, but rather an enthusiast. If you persist in using spam as a pejorative term, those of us who are spammoisseurs must insist that you instead refer to these communiques as “automatically-generated”. We will not abide such rudeness.
I think if you polled your readers, you’d be surprised by how many of them are just using your weblog as a portal for finding the best deals on cheap used cars, airline tickets and post-graduate degrees. Believe me pal, there’s millions of us. BTW, where is that link to Credit For Anyone and best rates on triple mortgages for stock picks company that was on your page a few months back? And what if I need a payday loan? Why do you keep deleting these links?
You’d better tamp that ego down there pal. You and your kind are Mere Whales, on whose hide We, the Barnacles must feed. Get with the virtual Eco-Program, Mr. CogDogBlog.
The saga continues (ends…)
http://jade.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/alan/archives/2004/12/16/spammer.php