Security news
Security news25 July 2006
Man faces 55 years in jail after charge of stealing 80,000 email addresses
Bailey's website offers 20,000 email addresses for $399.
Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have encouraged the authorities to continue to pursue the spamming community following the news that a man has been charged with stealing the membership database held at the American College of Physicians (ACP) in Philadelphia.
William Bailey, Jr, of Charlotte, North Carolina, faces a maximum possible sentence of 55 years in jail and $2,750,000 in fines if found guilty of illegally accessing the database and downloading contact details of 80,000 members of the ACP.
46-year-old Bailey runs a website called dr-411.com, which sells professional organization member databases, including addresses and email addresses for doctors, dentists, lawyers and real estate agents.
Bailey's website, which is currently not active, contained adverts promoting his contact databases such as:
Physician Email Database 20,350 emails for $399
It is alleged that Bailey ignored the following warning message on the ACP's website in order to access their membership database:
"Member Connection" or any of its data or listings may not be downloaded, republished, resold or duplicated, in whole or in part, for commercial or any other purposes, or for purposes of compiling mailing lists or any other lists of physicians. The use of "Member Connection" to establish independent data files or compendiums of statistical information is prohibited... Should the foregoing terms and conditions be acceptable to you, please indicate your agreement and acceptance by clicking below on the button labeled, "I accept."
United States Attorney General Pat Meehan says that the ACP contacted the computer crime squad at the FBI immediately.
"Criminal spammers are supported by the unethical email list providers who have sprung up like mushrooms around them. Spammers need long lists of qualified email addresses to send their unwanted marketing messages to, and so are always on the lookout for unscrupulous agencies who may assist them," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Those people who are prepared to work with spammers carry the stench of spam around with them, and if found guilty should be punished appropriately. The public demands firm action from the authorities to investigate cases like this."
More information about the indictment can be found on the Department of Justice website.
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About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
