Episode
110: Spam Botnets
1:12:09
Published: Tue Feb 08 2022
Description
This episode tells the stories of some of the worlds biggest spamming botnets. We’ll talk about the botnets Rustock, Waledac, and Cutwail. We’ll discover who was behind them, what their objectives were, and what their fate was. Sponsors Support for this show comes from Juniper Networks (hyperlink: juniper.net/darknet). Juniper Networks is dedicated to simplifying network operations and driving superior experiences for end users. Visit juniper.net/darknet to learn more about how Juniper Secure Edge can help you keep your remote workforce seamlessly secure wherever they are. Support for this podcast comes from Cybereason. Cybereason reverses the attacker’s advantage and puts the power back in the defender’s hands. End cyber attacks. From endpoints to everywhere. Learn more at Cybereason.com/darknet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapters
Online pharmacies have come a long way since their inception, with some offering the convenience of ordering medicine from home.
00:00 - 01:18 (01:18)
Summary
Online pharmacies have come a long way since their inception, with some offering the convenience of ordering medicine from home. However, not all online pharmacies are trustworthy and can pose a danger to customers.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
Online pharmacies have made buying medicine easier, however there are concerns over shady practices from certain sites.
01:18 - 09:59 (08:41)
Summary
Online pharmacies have made buying medicine easier, however there are concerns over shady practices from certain sites. Kronopay, a payment processor, has noticed payments coming from underground pharmacies and porn sites, while emails advertising these sites are being sent across the globe, particularly to those in the US.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
Pharmacy affiliate programs operate like a business- the affiliate marketer gets users to click a spam advertisement, give their credit card information to the affiliate program who then processes payment and delivers the product.
09:59 - 14:10 (04:11)
Summary
Pharmacy affiliate programs operate like a business- the affiliate marketer gets users to click a spam advertisement, give their credit card information to the affiliate program who then processes payment and delivers the product. The affiliate program is responsible for keeping customers happy and monetizing them.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
Botnets are made up of multiple infected computers that act as a single network under the control of a single attacker.
14:10 - 18:13 (04:02)
Summary
Botnets are made up of multiple infected computers that act as a single network under the control of a single attacker. By controlling thousands or millions of computers, cybercriminals can use botnets to carry out various attacks such as stealing personal information or launching DDoS attacks.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
Cyber criminals would go to underground web forums like spam.biz to share information, hire software, or sell malware, including botnets like the CutWhale and GameOver Zeus Trojans, which enabled them to install their own malware on as many machines as possible and send out huge amounts of spam.
18:13 - 23:10 (04:57)
Summary
Cyber criminals would go to underground web forums like spam.biz to share information, hire software, or sell malware, including botnets like the CutWhale and GameOver Zeus Trojans, which enabled them to install their own malware on as many machines as possible and send out huge amounts of spam.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
McCullough Corp developed one of the world's largest botnet in history, that was responsible for sending out 51 million spam emails every minute.
23:10 - 29:11 (06:00)
Summary
McCullough Corp developed one of the world's largest botnet in history, that was responsible for sending out 51 million spam emails every minute. This botnet used infected computers to send out spam emails making it difficult to block it.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
When a botnet is constructed, all of the bots report back to a central command and control center, or set of CNCs.
29:11 - 34:48 (05:36)
Summary
When a botnet is constructed, all of the bots report back to a central command and control center, or set of CNCs. However, if one of these is taken down, the botnet is often able to continue functioning because of relay systems in place.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
Walladac, a malware used to create spam bots, required machines to run on startup.
34:48 - 40:26 (05:38)
Summary
Walladac, a malware used to create spam bots, required machines to run on startup. The spam bots in the botnet had a list of repeater bots to communicate through, a confusing system even for bot masters.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
Security analysts, academics, and companies were all frustrated by botnets and rogue pharmacies until these botnets lost their hosting provider, resulting in a significant drop in spam volume worldwide, including the spam botnet Walladac, which sent 1.5 billion spam emails per day.
40:26 - 47:09 (06:43)
Summary
Security analysts, academics, and companies were all frustrated by botnets and rogue pharmacies until these botnets lost their hosting provider, resulting in a significant drop in spam volume worldwide, including the spam botnet Walladac, which sent 1.5 billion spam emails per day. In that year, an average of 150 billion spam messages per day were sent by spam botnets.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
The Cutwail botnet was one of the most persistent threats in the history of cybersecurity.
47:09 - 53:30 (06:21)
Summary
The Cutwail botnet was one of the most persistent threats in the history of cybersecurity. Attempts to take it down by cutting off Google's ability to communicate with its bots were met with resistance from hosting providers, some of whom ignored the abuse notifications.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
The back-end database includes a vast amount of information on different pharmaceutical affiliate programs and their association with spam, including the GladMed SpamIt and ARCS Promotion Affiliate programs.
53:30 - 1:03:26 (09:56)
Summary
The back-end database includes a vast amount of information on different pharmaceutical affiliate programs and their association with spam, including the GladMed SpamIt and ARCS Promotion Affiliate programs. The ongoing analysis of this data is aimed at providing third-party security validation to ascertain the extent of operation of these affiliate programs.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
Microsoft used a clause in the Lanham trademark act to seize counterfeit goods by arguing that the spam templates on the CNC servers, which were selling Viagra and other products, were a trademark infringement.
1:03:26 - 1:10:57 (07:31)
Summary
Microsoft used a clause in the Lanham trademark act to seize counterfeit goods by arguing that the spam templates on the CNC servers, which were selling Viagra and other products, were a trademark infringement.
Episode110: Spam Botnets
PodcastDarknet Diaries
Learn about the criminal underworld of phishing and how it's evolved over the years.
1:10:57 - 1:11:59 (01:01)
Summary
Learn about the criminal underworld of phishing and how it's evolved over the years. Also, stay safe and don't get tricked by fake pharmaceuticals.