Here are some of the facts shown in this report:

• 87% of spam analyzed came from botnets.
• Linux only used 36% of botnets to send spam.
• English language spam is the most used.
• Portuguese spam appeared as the second most used with 6%, large differences with other languages.
• The most common spam is the pharmaceutical spam. You know, Viagra stuff and that kind of thing.

Here’s a little sample about those pharmaceutical spam:

As part of this investigation, the analysis found that most of these machines are running also an open source mail transfer agent like Postfix or SendMail, which they’ve been configured to open up all the necessary ports, making those servers an easy target for hackers.

Most organizations use these kinds of “free” platforms to control their mail infrastructure and do not realize the big security concerns involved on each of them if those are not configured correctly.

• More People Use iPads than Linux Computers – April 22, 2011
• Windows 8 Leaked Image: Looking Sames as Windows 7 – March 16, 2011
• OpenOffice 3.3 Beta Released – August 21, 2010
• A Sneak Peak At New Netbook Operating System – January 23, 2009
• Ubuntu Screenshots of 11.10 – September 26, 2011

Linux Machines are Spammers originally appeared on: Crenk
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Twitter and Facebook hate SPAM too. At the same time, both of them published posts to their blog that clearly announce plans to go  on the offensive against spammers on their networks.

Twitter is due to start crating tweets and organising the trending topics section. This could mean one of two things:

1. Either they’ll simply remove an entire trending topic if it becomes too spammed.
2. Or they’ll painstakingly monitor tweets in trending topics with the first filter being a computer and the last a human.

They told us that the changes may not be apparent immediately – but I can assure you, it’s happening as you read this post.

Meanwhile, Facebook are targeting SPAM and scam ads on their network. This is a really big problem for two reasons. Firstly it lets users make their own ads and publish them – with so many it’s hard to catch all the scams. And secondly, they’ve gotten into bed with some shady advertising networks recently and are having a spot of bother breaking the relationships. Although they have assured us they’re in the process of ending two of them.

Let’s all pray for a SPAM free Internet in the mean time.

• Facebook vs Twitter: 2010 Social Demographic Breakdown – December 21, 2010
• Facebook is the most used URL in Twitter Profiles – December 5, 2010
• Save your Photos, Videos and Documents in one Place with PhotoRem – November 7, 2010
• How to Add a Sidebar with Facebook, Twitter, Delicio.us and Digg – October 31, 2010
• Virus Infecting Mac and Linux – October 31, 2010

Facebook and Twitter to Fight SPAM… again originally appeared on: Crenk
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They have just opened up Wave to third party companies by releasing an API package. This allows companies to host their own Wave like services on their own servers and interact with other companies API Waves. This is currently only in sandbox testing and isn’t live on the internet as of yet.

One thing which concerns me is that this could mean the start of SPAM on Wave. Since its launch people have been confined to specific waves but now we’re seeing a growth in access. Although this growth isn’t enough to start a spamming campaign it could be the start of it. I’m pretty sure that soon the hackers and spammers will descend on Google Wave – then it’s up to Google to stop them on a platform which will supposedly be more open than e-mail.

• Waving Hard? You Need WaveNut! – November 23, 2009
• Big Google Wave Coming Up – September 29, 2009
• Google Wave: Open Source – July 29, 2009
• Google Offers Available in Charlotte, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Antonio and Tampa – January 25, 2012
• How to Download Spotify App Clients for Windows and Mac – December 2, 2011

Google Wave Federation Begins Testing – Start of SPAM originally appeared on: Crenk
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The number that is quite disturbing as well, is the botnets that are currently infected: 14 million computers. 150k every day, that represent 20% of all the computers that are acquired every day. And these botnets and zombies they are not only responsible for most of the spam, also they generated other attacks like denial-of-service to the White House, New York Stock Exchange and South Korean government web sites.

About South Korea, that’s the country that increased the most in the botnet activity, up to 45%; but yes, the US keeps in the top of that list with over 15% of the entire zombie population.

These spam numbers do not come alone, malware attacks have increased, specially the ones that infect the Windows auto-run that do not require any user intervention to “spread the evil”. That type of malware even outnumbered the Koobface or the Conflicker attacks.

This is a battle that will never end I think, I’m sure that those that depend on this kind of battles will not let it end.

What do you think?

• Virus Infecting Mac and Linux – October 31, 2010
• Microsoft Free Antivirus Releasing Today – September 29, 2009
• Koobface Attacks and Twitter – July 12, 2009
• TalkTalk HomeSafe Claims All Bittorrent Sites Will Give Users Malware if Visited – May 11, 2011
• New Virus “Erases” Files and Folders: Panics Users – April 27, 2011

Spam Increased 141% originally appeared on: Crenk
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The world over there is a common word that we all understand when it comes to virtual messages…spam! That same concept can be related to the countless pieces of junk mail we receive in our snail mail boxes. In an attempt to curb physical mail, Zumbox was created as a way to save paper and go greener.

Zumbox is a virtual mailbox that is accessible from anywhere in the world, and all your mail can be directed to this. No major warehouses needed with hundreds of scanners, it simply takes your mail from teh database that your mail is created in and sends the file directly to your account. You can browse your mail just like you would browse it in your home after checking your mailbox.

It’s a great idea, and I’m completely behind it, but the one drawback is immersion. This concept would have to be fully accepted for Zumbox to saturate the market and reduce 100% of all physical mail. Still it’s a great start and I encourage you to at least input your address. The service is free, it’s easy, accessible, and leaves less of an imprint on the planet then all the junkmail you receive. With special filters, reduced junk mail, checking your “mail” may actually be fun again…save for the bills.

• [infographic] Evolution of the E-Mail – December 5, 2010
• SnailMailr: Send Snail Mail Online – November 18, 2009
• How Email Compares to Snail Mail in the USA – October 1, 2010
• How to Create a Temporary Mail Account – July 3, 2010
• Linux Machines are Spammers – May 15, 2010

Zumbox: Turn Your Snail Mail Green originally appeared on: Crenk
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The problem is comment spam.  These are comments that are left on articles that usually point to some website that tells you how she’d like you to be thicker and longer lasting, or how to find a great deal on your next new car.  Nothing of value, in face, these types of comments detract from the credibility of your content and worse, possibly lead to your readers leaving from clicking on a bogus link.  There is help.

Shortly after one particular article got bombarded with tons of traffic from several social bookmarking and networking sites at once, the comment spam started to roll in.  Using WordPress, my preferred platform for blogging, I set out to find some sort of Captcha system to add to blog posts to help cut down on the spam.  Generally speaking, I don’t like anything that interferes with a users experience, but this plug-in is a must have.

Did you pass math? adds a small math question to the bottom of your comment box, above the submit button.  It prompts the commentator to do a very simple math equation, like 7+3= [fill in the answer].   The plug-in can be found here: http://www.herod.net/dypm/ – and while it hasn’t been updated in two years, I don’t see that as a problem, it simply works.  To install it, simply download to your computer from their site, unzip the files and upload [via FTP] two PHP files (English is default, but support is there for dozens more).  Login to the admin section of WordPress, activate the plugin and you are done.

Since installing the Did you pass math plug-in, my comment spam has been near completely eliminated.  As an added bonus, there was zero negative feedback and no backlash from the my readers after installing.  Some even thanked me for not using a true Captcha system, since they can often be very hard to read.  My suggestion would be to install this when first setting up a blog, so you aren’t in a situation like me, trying to fix a broken problem while it is being broken even harder.

• WordPress Plugin for Google Buzz – February 12, 2010
• SimpleReach Slide: WordPress Simple Related Post Plugin – July 24, 2011
• Tumblr Passes WordPress.com in Blogs – June 17, 2011
• How to Add Google +1 Button to Your Website – June 6, 2011
• Windows Phone 7 Theme for Your WordPress Blog – May 31, 2011

Did You Pass Math? A Simple WordPress Comment Anti-spam Plugin originally appeared on: Crenk
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