Spam accounts for 80 per cent of emails on the internet
BT unveils automated 'spam buster'
/v3-uk/news/2008037/bt-unveils-automated-spam-buster
13 Oct 2006, Clement James , V3
BT has implemented what it claims to be the world's first fully automated 'spam buster' system that can track down professional spammers and botnets on its broadband network.
The company has signed security vendor StreamShield Networks to deliver its Content Forensics product to scan millions of emails a day.
The system will provide BT with detailed reports on the location and size of spam-related problems originating from its network.
BT believes that around 80 per cent of emails on the internet, equivalent to 6.5 billion a day, are spam.
These emails are not only generated by professional spammers but by botnets of PCs infected with rogue software to form a network that generates vast quantities of unwanted email.
Once the forensics software identifies a spammer it is up to BT's Customer Security team to take action, including terminating rogue accounts and adding offending IP addresses to industry-wide blacklists.
"We are turning the tables on professional spammers and cutting off this scourge of the internet at its source," said Stratis Scleparis, chief technology officer at BT Retail.
"We are delighted to work with StreamShield Networks on this innovative approach which tracks down and reduces spam messages on our network, and at the same time helps our customers overcome the threat of infection by bots."
© Incisive Media Investments Limited 2010, Published by Incisive Financial Publishing Limited, Haymarket House, 28-29 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4RX, are companies registered in England and Wales with company registration numbers 04252091 & 04252093
Do you agree?
Wishful thinking
Naivety is the word that springs to mind. They have little understanding of computers or of the Internet.
Posted by Stickems, 13 Oct 2006
Fully automated ?
I doubt that this is going to work very well at all. Maybe the story is sensationalising the effectiveness of this software, but when they start preventing me from receiving email from my own email address which is based outside BTs networks, I will be going to a different ISP. Freeserve/Wannadoo/Orange are already preventing legitimate emails from reaching its customers, so if BT wants to play that game, then they are going to lose customers.
Its interesting that while BT are adding IPs to blacklists, Spamhaus are under threat in the USA for operating a blacklist.
Posted by smoker, 13 Oct 2006
hang spammers
any1 sending spam porn or viagra offers must be hung
Posted by Dc s, 18 Oct 2006
Wouldn?t it be great?
It?s a shame that most spammers will hide behind a spoofed IP address and thus eliminates any pros a blacklist offers. But its only 1 part of the wider proposed solution, maybe the blocking of accounts will reduce SPAM but it?s just as easy to create another fake account as it is an IP address.
At least it?s an ISP showing genuine interest in fighting SPAM and not trying to ignore it like so many others.
10 out 10 for effort? but only time will tell how effective it has been.
Posted by Scorpiworld, 16 Oct 2006
IRC not Spam
Ok we all get spam, but BT blocking IRC networks and bots is this real, caus this is what they have done by doing this, I am just one of many as im sure there are many users out there who for fun use IRC. This is totally note fair to the broadband user.
Posted by Jaq, 27 Nov 2006