NEWS
Lycos is offering its customers a screensaver that helps to launch denial-of-service attacks on spammers' websites - a tactic more commonly associated with hackers or the spammers themselves who abuse networks of compromised machines to send large volumes of data.
The controversial move is designed to use the idle processing power of a computer to slow down the response times from spammers' websites.
Wessel Van Rensburg, product manager of communications for Lycos, said: "Lycos has been trying to position itself in the fight against spam. It launches tonight in the UK. It aims to use our community to fight spam. It uses idle computer power and sends requests to spam sites."
On its website, Lycos, which claims to have an army of more than 66,000 computers, says it has already attacked several websites, slowing one down by 85 per cent of its operating speed. The software is open to Windows and Mac users.
The company said that when the screensaver is active it displays the location and URL of the sites users' PCs are attacking, and that Lycos decides the websites it will attack.
A spokesman for the company said: "This gives internet users the opportunity to hit spammers where it hurts. Sending spam is not a minor misdemeanour, as spam causes billions of pounds of damage to the economy. This is why we are upping the ante in the fight against those responsible for spam."
But denial-of-service attacks are illegal in a many countries and some organisations have criticised the move. Steve Linford, director of non-profit anti-spam organisation Spamhaus, has dedicated the last eight years of his life to fighting spammers. He said that Lycos has failed to think the idea through.
"It's irresponsible of Lycos to put its name to it because it lends legitimacy to [DDoS] attacks," said Linford. "You can't break into a thief's house just because he breaks into yours. We don't support this or recommend this practice. Directing traffic is part of the degradation of the internet we are trying to stop."
On its web log, security company F-Secure also warned users away from the idea.
In its 'make love not spam' campaign, Lycos entices users to join the zombie army with the following message:
"Are you sick of getting unwanted messages in your inbox? Here's your chance to join the fight against spam as now you too can get involved. Download the Make Love not Spam screensaver - the only screensaver that actively works to stop the spammers - and tell your friends to do the same to spread the love."
Comments
There are 22 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
I salute Lycos for this move, everyone is quick to distance themselves from it but have no real other solution.
2. anonymous
The Lycos approach is not a DDS since Lycos declared not to let spam servers crash down. It is obvious and to some extend ok that a company like Spamhaus wants to promote their own paid for software. But to blame Lycos for a really cool and helpful tool is not the right way. Make love not spam(haus) ;-)
3. Dave
I also salute them for this act. If only more people would read this and download it we could have an army of people saying "screw you" to spammers. I miss the old internet days when it was safe to give out your REAL email address online and not just one that you made up to start an account or read a newsletter. Good jobs guys!
4. JJC
www.makelovenotspam down. Anybody know a mirror site? If not, and you have a copy, just email me the screensaver.
I've been waiting for this program for YEARS!
JJC
5. Daniel Gould
This is such a bad idea in so many ways. Internet congestion is already a fact of life that Lycos are going to add to. The whole idea behind broadband is that idle bandwidth is available to other users, hence the contention ratio. Using this for DDoS on spammers sites will just slow everything more than the spam itself does. Also, most spamming businesses use free webspace that they don't pay for. They'll simply change location more often.
6. Terry Carlin
At last hitting the companies that fund spam. By making them support increased bandwidth.
I'm fed up with purely defensive action, it's about time for something positive to be done against these people who have hijacked a good lump of the internet from us.
7. mick coleman
What are Lycos doing!! These days most Internet Backbone providers have DDoS detection systems in place and often blackhole or sinkhole DoS attacks. If they didnt dDOS attacks could take down ingress and egress points in the network.
So all that Lycos would be achieving is a lot of work for network providers and the spammers would be free to continue their activities
8. Mark SPLINTER
fighting fire with fire is such a bad idea, everyone knows water works best.
Lycos is positioning for the power of censorship, and the publicity gained from controversy, simple as that.
The best way to stop spammers is education. I only get spam because some other dumbass clicked on f.r.e.e.r.o.l.e.x. and made the spam "business model" viable. And let's not forget the YOU CAN SPAM act.
9. Daniel McAdam
makelovenotspam.com is still down (1.25pm). Think they're having a ddos problem...?
10. anonymous
If you read the MLNS lycos site, you will see that it is not a denial of service attack. Servers are not stopped, just slowed down.
Your last reader's comment stated "The best way to stop spammers is education. I only get spam because some other dumbass clicked on f.r.e.e.r.o.l.e.x. and made the spam "business model" viable. And let's not forget the YOU CAN SPAM act."
Are you in the real world or just a spammer yourself. Education by giving them a slap is whats needed. What is the YOU CAN SPAM act? Never heard of it.
I say run the screensaver and see what happens. I notice that the MLNS website was hit by a DDoS attack itself this morning. If that doesn't suggest that it is having an impact I don't know what is.
11. anonymous
It's not a DOS attack or a slow down of the system. It's the Operator Community blackholing the service. There's a unified voice from the NSP community saying "no" to Lycos' method.
12. Kerr
"Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and
done by unarmed nations in the face of odds." - Ghandi
Lycos have the right spirit; but their approach could not be worse.
Ill things will come of this.
13. Boltwevil
I've been saying this is what we been needing all along. I tried to promote my own spammer-killer but was shut down by people who still believe in useless flutter ie complaining to abuse departments, reporting spam, etc.
Even if this does nothing but cause massive overload of the Internet, it will force ISP's to empliment port 25 blocking and hopefully force governemnts such as the U.S. to quit siding with spammers (CANN-SPAM law).
I would gladly download this screensaver if it would just run on Linux. I fervently hope that others join in this effort to start a real campaign (instead of useless flutter) against these spammers. Personally I'd have no problem killing spammers if I knew I would not go to prison.
14. anonymous
This is a very bad idea from lycos.
how can this Ddos be legal, and yes its a ddos.
now some points on this spam fighting stuff.
some users use lycos free webhosting for there spam sites,
yet lycos wont ddos there own servers.
lycs free accounts show pop up spam ads about the same stuff they want to target.
so why is it ok for lycos to display spam msg`s but not ok for anyone else to do it.
no matter what way you look at this any form of ddos is illegal.
msblast that would ddos microsoft update site, illegal because of why.
lycos screen saver ddos many websites yet this is legal why,
lycos claims to have a 66,000 ddos army of hacked machines to fight spammers...
but if i went public about my ddos army the police would jail me?
could i just say im targetting spammers and be set free.?
i dont think so, so therfore i beleive lycos should be punnished for this action from every internet hacker in the world to unite and attack lycos, for there spamming of popup box`s from there websites,
this would be legal as we are doing what lycos is doing.
"fighting spam"
my 2 cents worth
15. anonymous
It's not quite true to say that we don't break into a thief's house after he breaks into ours: we have agents, called police, who do exactly that once a search warrant is issued.
Finally, we have a chance to turn the tables on the culprits who have turned the world's best killer app, email, into a garbage-filled mine field of crass commercialism serving only the petty economic interests of a small elite group of marketers. Anyone opposing this valiant effort by Lycos has the responsibility to propose an equally effective alternative to rid the internet of the scummy spammers and phishers.
16. Mike Tarbell
Some one not wanting to use his name for obvious reasons posted:
>>>>>>>
Name: Anonymous
Country: us
Occupation: none
Comments: The Lycos approach is not a DDS since Lycos declared not to let spam servers crash down. It is obvious and to some extend ok that a company like Spamhaus wants to promote their own paid for software. But to blame Lycos for a really cool and helpful tool is not the right way. Make love not spam(haus) ;-)
<<<<<<<
You mean DDoS not DDS and the "S" stands for Service, if you lower the site's "service" to 5% of what was as Lycos says they do, that's a Denial of Service, Distributed of course.
What? Spamhaus wants to promote their own paid for software? Spamhaus has no paid for software, their site is all free, I've used their anti-spam lists for years.
You're not a spammer, what are you, some sort of troll?
17. anonymous
Brilliant. Let's keep fighting them.
18. The Net Lover
Million Salute to Lycos...This THE way u take on spammers...
Any one knows how to get that screensaver PLEASE...
19. Anonymous
Until those nae sayers can come up with a better solution...stop griping. This is the only way to get it done. I don't whole-heartedly agree with it myself...but it's the only option avail.
20. anonymous
SPAMVAMPIRE is a far more effective tool to attack spamvertised websites:
http://www.hillscapital.com/antispam/
21. anonymous
If all you do is sit back and say dont fight them thats wrong, isnt it wrong when you get a viagra advertisement or something explicit its to the point you cant open your personal email when your kids are in the room. I won't even let my kids have hotmail addresses because of such things. How about the wonderful things like viruses that are passed around through spam or popups contained within spam.
Sitting back and doing nothing will do just that nothing. if you want soemthing done you have to be heard and noticed. To kerr the poster who referred to ghandi, ghandi's ways only worked because of mass media thats what lycos will get from this and to the people who are saying this will congest it more yes probably but not too noticable and if it does get bad then isp's will be forced to act or they will lose customers. They are a business too remember heavy stress on their servers and from their customers (a rock and a hard place) they just mite give in and add better features to the packages we buy. We pay our monthly bills for the itnernet why to get spammed? If i wanted advertisements i would go somewhere for it. Spam is the guy from the old days who use to stand in your doorway with his foot half way in so you cant close it till you either boguht something or you slammed the door hard enough to hurt his foot.
22. anonymous
This is a great idea that I've been running for months! I wish someone would run a clearinghouse where spammer addresses could be posted so we could include them. Here's one for ya:
http://ak0.cc/oc/
Be nice if we could get a webring going.