Synopses & Reviews
M o r e t h a n s i x t y p e r c e n t o f t o d a y' s e m a i l t r a f f i c i s s p a m, a c c o r d i n g t o e m a i l f i l t e r i n g f i r m B r i g h t m a i l . T h i s y e a r a l o n e, f i v e t r i l l i o n s p a m m e s s a g e s w i l l c l o g I n t e r n e t u s e r s i n - b o x e s, c o s t i n g s o c i e t y a n e s t i m a t e d $ 1 0 - b i l l i o n i n l o s t p r o d u c t i v i t y, f i l t e r i n g s o f t w a r e, a n d o t h e r e x p e n s e s . S p a m K i n g s: T h e R e a l S t o r y b e h i n d t h e H i g h - R o l l i n g H u c k s t e r s P u s h i n g P o r n, P i l l s, a n d % * @ ) # E n l a r g e m e n t s i s t h e f i r s t b o o k t o e x p o s e t h e s h a d o w y w o r l d o f t h e p e o p l e r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e j u n k e m a i l p r o b l e m . A u t h o r a n d v e t e r a n i n v e s t i g a t i v e j o u r n a l i s t B r i a n S . M c W i l l i a m s d e l i v e r s a c o m p e l l i n g a c c o u n t o f t h e c a t - a n d - m o u s e g a m e p l a y e d b y s p a m e n t r e p r e n e u r s i n s e a r c h o f e a s y f o r t u n e s a n d t h o s e w h o a r e t r y i n g t o s t o p t h e m . T h e b o o k s h e d s l i g h t o n t h e t e c h n i c a l s l e i g h t - o f - h a n d - - f o r g e d h e a d e r s, o p e n r e l a y s, h a r v e s t i n g t o o l s, a n d b u l l e t p r o o f h o s t i n g - - a n d o t h e r s l e a z y b u s i n e s s p r a c t i c e s t h a t s p a m m e r s u s e; t h e w o r k o f t o p a n t i - s p a m a t t o r n e y s; t h e s u r p r i s i n g n e w p a r t n e r s h i p d e v e l o p i n g b e t w e e n s p a m m e r s a n d c o m p u t e r h a c k e r s; a n d th e r i s e o f a n e w b r e e d o f c o m p u t e r v i r u s e s d e s i g n e d t o t u r n t h e P C s o f i n n o c e n t b y s t a n d e r s i n t o s e c r e t s p a m f a c t o r i e s .
Synopsis
This fascinating book reveals the dramatic cat-and-mouse game played by spam entrepreneurs in search of easy fortunes, and those who are trying to keep the Internet safe for email. Spam Kings chronicles the evolution of Davis Wolfgang Hawke, a notorious neo-Nazi leader and chess master who got into junk email in 1999. Using the colorful and enigmatic Hawke as a case study, the narrative traces his rise in the spam trade, from his lonely apprenticeship in a South Carolina trailer to his emergence as a major player in the lucrative penis pill market. This business would eventually make the twenty year-old a millionaire--and the target of a major lawsuit from America Online. Spam Kings offers unusually candid profiles of other major spam kingpins responsible for the junk email problem, and describes the tricks of their trade. The book also reveals the behind-the-scenes actions of anti-spam vigilantes, including a powerful, largely anonymous group known as Spamhaus.
Synopsis
More than sixty percent of today's email traffic is spam, according to email filtering firm Brightmail. This year alone, five trillion spam messages will clog Internet users in-boxes, costing society an estimated $10-billion in lost productivity, filtering software, and other expenses. Spam Kings: The Real Story behind the High-Rolling Hucksters Pushing Porn, Pills, and %*@)# Enlargements is the first book to expose the shadowy world of the people responsible for the junk email problem. Author and veteran investigative journalist Brian S. McWilliams delivers a compelling account of the cat-and-mouse game played by spam entrepreneurs in search of easy fortunes and those who are trying to stop them. The book sheds light on the technical sleight-of-hand--forged headers, open relays, harvesting tools, and bulletproof hosting--and other sleazy business practices that spammers use; the work of top anti-spam attorneys; the surprising new partnership developing between spammers and computer hackers; and the rise of a new breed of computer viruses designed to turn the PCs of innocent bystanders into secret spam factories.
About the Author
Brian McWilliams has been reporting on business and technology issues for over twenty years. His articles have appeared in online publications such as Wired.com and Salon.com as well as in magazines including PC World, Computerworld, InformationWeek, CFO, Across the Board, and Inc. McWilliams gained international attention in 2002 when he wrote about the contents of Saddam Hussein's email inbox.
Table of Contents
DedicationAcknowledgmentIntroductionChapter 1: Chapter 2: Chapter 3: Chapter 4: Chapter 5: Chapter 6: Chapter 7: Chapter 8: Chapter 9: Chapter 10: Chapter 11: EpilogueGlossary