response1.docx
Instructions: Add additional insight to these opinions or challenge the opinions. Use real world experience to support your views, as appropriate.
1) Email is the transmission of messages over communications networks (Newman, 2007). Spam email, which is often known as and referred to as “junk” email, involves sending nearly identical messages to numerous recipients.
Numerous computer system threats are sent over the internet and corporate networks via email daily that are intrusive and can impact the safe operation of a system (Newman, 2007). Spam email related cybercrimes are rising and continue to pose a threat to society. Spam has been used to spread malware, recruit additional bots (computers infected with malware to “work” for the controller), in phishing schemes, to exploit people, and to advertise products to scam buyers and so on (Wei et. al., 2010). Spam email can be used for a variety of deceitful purposes and thus computer users should be weary of advertising in spam emails.
McAfee reported in 2008 there were over 153 billion spam messages per day and over 90% of emails were spam (Wei et. al., 2010). In the first quarter of 2009 nearly 12 million new IP addresses were detected as bots sending spam emails (Wei et. al., 2010). Part of what allows such criminal activity to take place with spam emails is the identity of the perpetrator is protected through layers of networking and IP addresses. It is difficult to narrow down a specific physical location of where the activity is being conducted from. Another issue is that sometimes these activities are taking place in countries where the laws and rules and regulations of the US do not apply or are not the same, and this creates a hardship in prosecution and terminating ill practices.
What Wei et al has tried to do through this research, and through previous studies and research, is to better identify the methodology of spammers and the evolution of spam email in order to better combat spam email and its related cybercrime activity. For example identified through this articles research spammers acquire a large group of domain names in order to combat domain blacklisting (Wei et. al., 2010). This article also outlines how spammers send emails and protect their identities through bouncing through different domains names and IP addresses. It also identifies one method of how spammers favor Internet Service Providers (ISP) because rogue ISPs can use complex data shifting techniques to conceal criminal activity by shifting through a variety of data centers and moving an IP address from one data center to another (Wei et. al., 2010). Shutting down criminal spammers provides a significant decrease in the volume of spam worldwide just like when the McColo shutdown spam volumes dropped 36% in the U.S. alone and as high as 73% in other regions around the world (Wei et. al., 2010).
I think that one of the most important things that Wei et. al. indirectly bring out is that improved legislation, continued research, continued forensics investigations and continued emphasis on spam email is definitely required in order to continue to decrease the criminal activity related to spam email. Also based on my professional experiences with spam emails and criminal activity, continued education of the end user is just as important in the protection and continued prevention of criminal activity through spam email. I like how it is put in the text that there are no “free lunches” and if it sounds too good to be true it is (Newman, 2007). If you don’t know who sent it to you or why you have it don’t open it, don’t click on it, don’t go to another website or provide any information..
Arun1990
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