Millions of spam messages were sent to computer users
worldwide.
Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have welcomed
news that an Australian company and its director have been fined a
total of AU $5.5 million (US $4.1 million) after it was claimed
they sent over 200 million spam emails in a 12 month period.
The Perth, Western Australia-based spammer, Wayne Mansfield, and
his company Clarity1, were found to have illegally sent out
millions of spam messages in the 12 months since Australian spam
laws were introduced in April 2004. In April 2005, Sophos reported
how authorities in Australia raided a suspected spam factory in
Perth, during which the contents of computer hard disks and other
material were seized.
"This is the first time that spammers have been successfully
prosecuted under the Australian Spam Act, and represents a victory
for the authorities and the man in the street pestered by nuisance
email," said Graham
Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Spam is a
global problem, and robust action needs to be taken against
spammers wherever they are based in the world in order to send out
a clear message that their activities are unacceptable. Substantial
penalties must be handed out to those people who choose to spam and
spam again in their hunt for a quick profit."
Earlier this year, Justice Nicholson of the Federal Court in
Perth rejected defense pleas that recipients had consented to
receive the spam emails. Complaints about Mansfield's spam had been
received from as far afield as the United Kingdom.
"Australia's Spam Act is a first step towards eradicating
locally produced spam. However, it is only through the combination
of international cooperation, local legislation, law enforcement,
technology enforcement and user education that will help put a stop
to spam," continued Cluley.
Sophos recommends that companies protect their email gateways
with a consolidated solution to defend
against viruses, spyware and spam. Businesses should also secure
their desktop and servers with automatically updated
protection.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.