Security news
Security news18 January 2007
Owner of online dating firm arrested for sending 5.4 billion spam emails
The spam promoted a Japanese dating website.
Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have warned companies to abide by anti-spam laws following the arrest of a man suspected of sending 5.4 billion spam emails promoting his dating website.
Japanese authorities arrested 47-year-old Yoshimitsu Hirono, president of Tokyo-based dating website Takumi Tsushin, along with three other suspects. Approximately 90 million spam emails a day are said to have been sent promoting the site over a two month period.
According to reports, the four men have admitted the allegations against them.
"Competition between websites is fierce, and if found guilty these men would not be the first to have used illegal means to get an edge over their rivals," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "In increasingly aggressive markets some businesses may turn to illegal spamming in their attempt to increase marketshare. Companies need to know that by spamming they could find themselves drawing attention from the international law enforcement agencies, and end up with a unpleasant date in court."
Hirono and the other men are said to have remotely used a bank of 128 computers located in China's Heilongjiang province in order to send the spam messages.
"China ranks as the second-worst country in the world for relaying spam, but that doesn't mean that the spammers themselves are based there," continued Cluley. "Spammers may make use of computers in China to make investigations more complicated and to take advantage of lower infrastructure costs."
Sophos recommends companies protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can defend businesses from the threats of spam, spyware and malware.
When considering your anti-malware security vendor, what is more important to you?
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
