FTC Needs Help Against Spam Zombies

Citing a vast number of compromised PCs being used as spam forwarders, the FTC wants help in shutting them down in Operation Spam Zombies. Paging Operation Spam Zombies yesterday. This will be an initiative focused on educating Internet service providers abut measures they can take to help reduce the unrelenting flow of junk e-mail. Among the measures the FTC will promote are the following:

1. blocking a common Internet port used for e-mail when possible;
2. applying rate-limiting controls for e-mail relays;
3. identifying computers that are sending atypical amounts of e-mail and take steps to determine if the computer is acting as a spam zombie. When necessary, quarantine the affected computer until the source of the problem is removed;
4. providing plain-language information for customers on how to keep their home computers secure; and
5. providing or pointing their customers to easy-to-use tools to remove zombie code if their computers become infected.
"Computers around the globe have been hijacked to send unwanted e-mail," said Lydia Parnes, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "With our international partners, we're urging Internet Service Providers worldwide to step up their efforts to protect computer users from costly, annoying, and intrusive spam zombies.'" The FTC has created a Web page,

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