Search:  

 
 
   News
newer
story category Lycos UK: 'Whoops, DDoS!'
Anti-spam effort knocking spammers out
(old news - 06:32PM Thursday Dec 02 2004)
tags: bandwidth · spam
Apparently the screensaver being circulated by Lycos Europe that gobbles up Spammer bandwidth isn't backing off before DDoS conditions, according to Netcraft. The site reports several sites have been knocked completely offline, and notes a few major internet backbones are preventing access to the new Lycos website. Netcraft also outlines which domains are primary targets and how far they've been slowed by the effort.

Related:
  1. Monday Morning Links
  2. Mac Fans Lament Broadband Meters
  3. AT&T Slammed For Wireless Streaming 'Double Standard'
  4. Still Waiting On Time Warner Cable DOCSIS 3.0
  5. AT&T: 65,000 SMS Sent Per SECOND
  6. Broadband Video Effort Squashed By Caps
  7. Clearwire: We'll Hit 80 Markets In 18 Months
  8. Cogeco Tells Us They're Working On Meter Problems...
Forums » Lycos UK: 'Whoops, DDoS!'
view: topics flat text 
Post a:

B52GUNR
KM 7D love and D3 Nirvana
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-06
Alameda, CA
clubs:

I'm trying..

I'm really trying to muster sympathy for the sites that got knocked off line by being advertised in spam.

Oddly enough, I'm failing in the attempt.

PoorPoor

@lexis-nexis.com

Re: I'm trying..

As my Mom used to say in similar ethical conundrums, 12 lashes with a wet noodle, Lycos.

Smokey
I killed the Wabbit
Premium
join:2003-05-20
Va Beach
clubs:

Re: I'm trying..

Sounds fun...

Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus

join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY
Well I prefer well cooked asparagus myself.:D

F walker
Hey Intern, Get Me A Campari
Premium
join:2003-04-10
Vancouver, WA
clubs:
DDoS spammers......

Sounds good to me.....
CyberSchnook6
Upon Reflection, I Do Not Wish To Post.
Premium
join:2004-11-21

said by B52GUNR See Profile:

I'm really trying to muster...
I'm fresh out of Grey Poupon, myself.
--
I can't do the Hokey-Pokey.

ArchAngel21x
MacFan Pro
Premium
join:2001-10-28
Lincoln, NE
·Internet Nebraska

said by B52GUNR See Profile:

I'm really trying to muster sympathy for the sites that got knocked off line by being advertised in spam.

Oddly enough, I'm failing in the attempt.
I will be sure to light a candle every time I help knock off line a Website advertised in spam
--
Listen to an episode of Savage Nation. Updated 01 Dec 2004.
jimbo2150

join:2004-05-10
Youngstown, OH
·Dreamhost
·Armstrong Zoom In..

quote:
I'm really trying to muster sympathy for the sites that got knocked off line by being advertised in spam.

Oddly enough, I'm failing in the attempt.
I am failing to feel sorry for them as well. They have sent spam illegally, some (as I have heard) have hackers that crack other sites illegally, yet they are going to complain about us finally fighting back to all their annoyances? I say they have no room to complain.
What are they going to do about it though? Start some legal action? I would laugh if they did then got charged with contributing to spam, lol!

I do realize the reasoning for backbones to ban them, it can be a bandwidth hog.
Bandito

join:2003-01-23

Stopping spammers

I cant seem to download the screensaver?!

Mankind121
Premium
join:2000-11-12
Livermore, CA
clubs:


2 edits

Re: Stopping spammers

said by Bandito See Profile:



I cant seem to download the screensaver?!
heres their website, appears to be under going some changes or something
»makelovenotspam.com/intl

/edit
when you view the source of that page it says this

<!--
- Unfortunately, Microsoft has added a clever new
- "feature" to Internet Explorer. If the text in
- an error's message is "too small", specifically
- less than 512 bytes, Internet Explorer returns
- its own error message. Yes, you can turn that
- off, but *surprise* it's pretty tricky to find
- buried as a switch called "smart error
- messages" That means, of course, that many of
- Resin's error messages are censored by default.
- And, of course, you'll be shocked to learn that
- IIS always returns error messages that are long
- enough to make Internet Explorer happy. The
- workaround is pretty simple: pad the error
- message with a big comment to push it over the
- five hundred and twelve byte minimum. Of course,
- that's exactly what you're reading right now.
-->

xmrocks
I like Sirius Better
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-23
clubs:
·Comcast

For those who want to download the screensaver, see my post at the link below:

»Re: spammers killed a spam killer
--
-RyanTeam Discovery Member!
Bandito

join:2003-01-23

Re: Stopping spammers

Looks like the site is down, perhaps for good? Interesting concept, but looks like the spammers are the winners.

xmrocks
I like Sirius Better
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-23
clubs:
·Comcast

Re: Stopping spammers

Who really knows...Lycos claims the site isn't down and that they are just "undergoing changes" while others claim the site was taken down by hackers. It's a big point the finger game.

You're right though, it is an interesting concept.
--
-Ryan
Team Discovery Member!

Jameson
10-8
Premium
join:2004-05-28
Fallbrook, CA
clubs:

Stupid BASTARDS

haha i feel no sorrow for participating in that im glad that it knocked thoes bastards off the www.

lyls

@tele.dk

Re: Stupid BASTARDS

you do realize youre actually HELPING spammers by turning to vigilantism?

rayondw
Premium
join:2003-10-26
germany

Re: Stupid BASTARDS

said by lyls:

you do realize youre actually HELPING spammers by turning to vigilantism?
How so?
--
Live in Detroit?
JPCass

join:2001-01-23
Denver, CO

said by lyls:

you do realize youre actually HELPING spammers by turning to vigilantism?
I can understand a point about taking the high road, and tend to agree philosophically. But given that nothing, including waiting patiently for the legal system to work, appears to have really hurt spammers, explain how exactly this really does help spammers in reality and not in theory?

I think spammers may well be scared by this new approach, and that variations that avoid the characteristics of a DDOS attack may be the wave of the future. For instance, I'd like to see a widespread trial of user tools that generated a (anonymized) single hit to the URLs in spam e-mail, since I don't think that the merchants who are sponsoring spam can afford or handle traffic proportionate to that with which they burden the recipients of their advertising.

Trakker
Danger
Premium
join:2003-01-12
ß

Dume ass Lycos

They just made millions of people party to a lawsuit and criminal action.

There is no "protection" for people that spam a spammer or DDoS a DDoS'r.
--
»www.cqbarms.com

justin
Australian
join:1999-05-28
Brooklyn, NY

Re: Dume ass Lycos

that isn't gonna happen. lycos may back off in the end, but there was never a practical legal risk to users of the screensaver.

Nerdtalker
Working Hard, Or Hardly Working?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-02-18
Tucson, AZ
clubs:

1 edit

Re: Dume ass Lycos

***double post, sorry***

Nerdtalker
Working Hard, Or Hardly Working?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-02-18
Tucson, AZ
clubs:
·Comcast

said by justin See Profile:

that isn't gonna happen. lycos may back off in the end, but there was never a practical legal risk to users of the screensaver.
I agree, that, coupled with the fact that it'll almost be impossible to determine *legit* traffic (people getting spammed) from the other traffic.
--
Touch a thistle timidly, and it pricks you; grasp it boldly, and its spines crumble. -William S. Halsey

Kazaa Is Spyware. Gator / Claria Is Spyware.


I'm testing Gmail's spam filters: Broadbandreports1@gmail.com
Spam: 1186

Erwin_D

join:2003-06-30
Netherlands


1 edit

Really knocked offline?

Or simply (re)moved by the spammers, due to high bandwidth costs? (which *was* the intent!) Then wooing that these spam hating treehuggers are responsible for 'disabling' their sites, hoping to gain some sympathy.

I think the latter is more likely.

paulhaskew
Unoffical Dominos Spokesman

join:2002-01-10
Vancouver, WA
clubs:

w00t

GO LYCOS
claudeo

join:2000-02-23
Redmond, WA

"a few major internet backbones are preventing acc

"...a few major internet backbones are preventing access to the new Lycos website."
Hmmm. So they *can* do it. Why don't they prevent access to the truly evil websites, like child porn, spammers and phishers then? Or maybe they do, but where is the list, and who keeps it? And where is the recourse if someone legit gets accidentally knocked off? Hmm....

zoom314
Superman
Premium
join:2001-04-30
Yermo, CA

Re: "a few major internet backbones are preventing

said by claudeo See Profile:

"...a few major internet backbones are preventing access to the new Lycos website."
Hmmm. So they *can* do it. Why don't they prevent access to the truly evil websites, like child porn, spammers and phishers then? Or maybe they do, but where is the list, and who keeps it? And where is the recourse if someone legit gets accidentally knocked off? Hmm....
Simple, Money, Money, Money.
ceocio

join:2004-04-16
Columbus, OH

another idea to spam spammers

So I was thinking....
How about lettng users DOS attack the specific spammers that spammed us? A program that we can install and add spammers to the blacklist, so we can do collective spamming back to these suckers. I would be willing to pay an annual subscription in order to revenge these suckers that spam my mailboxes. With enough users download the program, we can contribute to the cause of stopping spammers for good. Any one/company up to the challenge?

Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA


1 edit

Re: another idea to spam spammers

The only "cause" you'll advance is that of more laws to protect spammers from vigilantes who decide that the ends justify the means.

And don't forget the horrible damage done when every numbnut who wants to DOS a site now has even easier access to the software to do so; no more wading thru the Haxxorz sites.

Spam is here to stay, theres nothing you can do to stop it without making it worse for legitimate users. The best thing you can do is use filters to make it easy to ignore it; the more attention paid to spammers the more they win.
--
Attention all decks! Brace for whining!
ceocio

join:2004-04-16
Columbus, OH

Re: another idea to spam spammers

I wouldnt worry about that. The program should be able to distinguish real spammers and only attck these. The local blacklist can be compared against that of in the central database to determine if there are enough requests to justify the attack..The central server can then authorize the client to iniate such an attack.

said by Combat Chuck See Profile:

And don't forget the horrible damage done when every numbnut who wants to DOS a site now has even easier access to the software to do so; no more wading thru the Haxxorz sites.

Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA

Re: another idea to spam spammers

So whoever get most votes gets DOS'd?
Or does one person decide?
What if you don't agree with that person?
Do you really want to travel down the road of coordinated attacks against those who a certain group, in their own opinion, decides are detrimental to the net? I've seen the violently anti-spam community work. I do not want that group of self righteous, power hungry, egomaniacs deciding what is "good" and what is "bad" because once they eliminate the "bad" they will move the line so they can continue their quest to feel important.

And the spammers will work around it everyone else will suffer under it.
--
Attention all decks! Brace for whining!
JPCass

join:2001-01-23
Denver, CO

Re: another idea to spam spammers

said by Combat Chuck See Profile:

So whoever get most votes gets DOS'd?
Or does one person decide?
What if you don't agree with that person?
How about a simple tool that does something like allow many individual users to generate a single (anonymized) hit to the URLs in spam that they personally receive? Multiply that by all the people who get spam, and the merchants ultimately sponsoring the spam would have to bear a burden of traffic more in proportion to what they subject others.

mrchris
We don't miss you Bush
Premium
join:2002-10-01
North Babylon, NY

1 edit
Here's a way to suck up bandwidth of fake bank sites: »www.aa419.org/ladvampire.html

UnKown
The Underground Network

join:2002-09-08
Orlando, FL
wait until the spammers redirect there dns to fbi.gov now your ddosing a goverment web site, and now your federally f*ck3d
ceocio

join:2004-04-16
Columbus, OH

Re: another idea to spam spammers

yeah right, like they're gonna change their ip to fbi.

devrandom
I got a pot, full of random stuff here
Premium
join:2003-06-28

I'm sure Lycos is watching all of this very carefully. When you wield great power, you have to wield great care.

Especially with all of this stuff going around about how criminal this is (whether it is or not is determined by the person).
--
There is no fork.

InboxLiberationFront

@dynamic.cov

Bad dog, Lycos!

Don't do that again. Here's some filet mignon, boy.


Talon88
The One

join:2003-08-13
Toronto
·Bell Sympatico


1 edit

We should Support Lycos.....!

:::

We should Support Lycos.....!
Let's take down all the spammer &
the company who promote their
product through spammer.....!

Lycos Go Go Go......!

:::
--
[=Talon88=]
»DI-624 Firmware update w/ Crash Recovery Step by S --
»[Info] Some Clue about DI-624 Reboot
obladi6703

join:2002-06-25
Pearl, MS

Lycos

Where is Lycos located? If it isn't in the US it is not subject to US laws, right? Maybe there are international treaties that govern this sort of thing?

I wouldn't worry about individual users of the screensaver being charged in the DDoS attacks because each individual is probably not flooding the spammers servers enough to qualify as a DDoS attack.

I really don't get much spam with my primary bellsouth email address. However, I do have a couple of email addresses that I use as junk addresses. Seems to work well.

kabhal
Premium
join:2002-02-05
Oklahoma City, OK

Any other place to download it?

The site is (obviously) down now, is there any other place to get the screensaver?

Mankind121
Premium
join:2000-11-12
Livermore, CA
clubs:

Re: Any other place to download it?

I don't think the screen saver is working at the moment though

schnuggles
Stays Crunchy In Milk

join:2003-06-07
Deming, NM

Could use that here

Ok, how do we get something similar for those low-lifes at doubleclick, claria, et. al?
--
Salus Populi Suprema Est Lex-Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC)

PhoenixDown
-- Wants FIOS
Premium
join:2003-06-08
Fresh Meadows, NY
clubs:

BBR Team Spam Killers!

We need a distributed computing like team to track and hit spammers. Can you imagine? Spammer@home?
--
www.pulsetoday.com -- marketing forums!

TeatherWind

join:2001-08-21
Euless, TX

Website

It's much like

»www.aa419.org/ladvampire.html

Which hits 'fake bank' sites.
biochemistry

join:2003-05-09
92361

Spam

Spamming is illegal. What recourse do they have? Are they gonna tell the govt. they're being ddossed because they're spammers?

devrandom
I got a pot, full of random stuff here
Premium
join:2003-06-28

Re: Spam

Remember the DNC list, and how the call centers complained that they were laying off droves of workers? They tried to make us feel sorry about that, but pity, a lot of people were cheering.
--
There is no fork.

Derch
Premium
join:2004-10-16
Tulsa, OK
I have no love or pity for spammers and their fake businesses.
ossito16

join:2004-07-31
Whiting, IN
·RCN CABLE

I love it

I hope more of this happens. Let more these clowns know we will not stand for it and will retaliate. No more profit from misery directed at citizensm and then try and hide. Digital domain is the new wild west. They fired the first shot and now ppl fired back. keep it up my friends.

mikestorm

join:2004-04-30
Norristown, PA

I'm going to coin a phrase

Coordinated Vigilateism

This article made my day.

Finalnight

join:2002-05-10
Omaha, NE
clubs:

Re: I'm going to coin a phrase

Begun, these spam wars have...
AquaBlaze
Premium
join:2004-02-02
Encino, CA

Re: I'm going to coin a phrase

Let's at least hope that we get better actors in this one. It's a sad state of affairs when your animatronic/digitized characters are your best actors in the entire movie!
catpaw

join:2000-06-26
Canada

4000 spams and counting

I receive over 4000 spams a month - this month I have already recieved 500 spams - that's just since Dec. 1! I am now on track to breaking my previous record of 4,286 in one month.
Do I feel upset at the vigilanty activity? Not one a bit. I realize this is wrong and blah blah blah. But I have reached such a level of frustration with the spammers - although i have a great program that holds the spam - and their self righteous attitudes towards their business that I now applaud these actions. Would I participate in a ddos if it meant stopping the spam glut? You bet.

Corehhi

join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

Re: 4000 spams and counting

I just wished hackers with bad intentions would go after spammers instead of some home users computer that they never see the damage they do. Bring down a spammers site on command and you will be King for the world to see or at least a lot more people will be impressed by what you do. Just a thought. I'm retired.
petrus

join:2002-01-09
Atlanta, GA

Spammers

I had a huge spam problem and was getting around 5,000 spam emails a day (10 domains). This has been the case for several years. I manage these accounts only with the help of Mailwasher, which automatically deletes about 99% of the spam, and would otherwise be unmanageable. About 2 weeks ago, the barrage of spam simply stopped and I get very little spam now and I still receive all of my legitimate email! I made no changes whatsoever to any of the domains I manage. My only guess when this happened was that maybe a major spammer was shut down. If efforts like this can shut these operations down, I am all for it. These spammers are "playing dirty" why shouldn't we "play dirty also" in response? The legal system doesn't seem to be able to shut these folks down, so it looks like we have to "fight fire with fire". I applaud efforts like this.
catpaw

join:2000-06-26
Canada

Re: Spammers

Wow and I thought I had a spam problem! Interesting how th spam stopped so suddenly, isn't it. Let me know if the spam starts back up. It will be interesting won't it.
Forums » Lycos UK: 'Whoops, DDoS!'


Saturday, 04-Jul 11:51:41 Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Hosting by www.nac.net - DSL,Hosting & Co-lo | feedback | contact
over 9.5 years online! © 1999-2009 dslreports.com.