[PLUG-TALK] Spam Nation

[Rich Shepard]

   Is anyone else here reading Brian Krebs' book, 'Spam Nation?' I've just
started and look forward to learning more about the spam problem.

   One question to which I've not (yet) found an answer is whether linux/*BSD
systems have been (or could be) compromised and added to a cybercriminal's
botnet. Web browser vulnerabilities aside, my impression is that most of the
issues can be traced to Microsoft's products and uneducated or indifferent
users of those, both individual and corporate.

   The tenor of spam that passes the postfix and SpamAssassin guards here has
shifted from prevalance of quicker-dicker-upper pills to business-oriented
topics such as SEO, phone systems, and loans. My practice is to report all
spam to the top-most ISP in the header and I continue to be surprised at
both how many ISPs lack an abuse@ (or any) e-mail address or who reject mail
submitted to their abuse address because it contains spam. D'oh! Really?

   Could be a useful and educational thread here on what more we as
individuals can do to reduce the amount of spam polluting the 'Net.

Rich