Microsoft has filed eight lawsuits against suspected spammers under the controversial CAN-SPAM Act, alleging deception and use of false information. Four of the cases were said to have been filed June 2, with the remaining four filed June 10.
"These spammers," said Microsoft in a statement announcing the new suits, "sent millions of e-mails individually – some hundreds of millions – soliciting a variety of products including body enlargement pills, prescription drugs, dating services, university degree programs, and work-at-home and get-rich-quick scheme offers."
The defendants allegedly used standard messages and spoofed messages alike to flush the spam in question. These cases raise Microsoft's total anti-spam litigation to over eighty actions in the past year, more than half of which have been filed in the U.S. alone.
One of the new cases, in fact, is against John Hites, who anti-spam group Spamhaus Project lists on its Register of Known Spam Operations. Another named defendant is a Florida company, PinPoint Media.
Hites is accused of using hijacked computers and false subject lines.
The hijacked computer charge may prove to be one of the most telling. CBS Marketwatch reported as news of the Microsoft spam suits went forth that spammers and hackers aren't exactly just nodding acquaintances.
"Techie researchers have confirmed something we've suspected for a long time: Spammers and hackers are in cahoots with one another," Marketwatch reported in a newsletter to subscribers. "Officials suspect this was the case in the SoBig virus last year. Some spammers actually pay virus writers to create worms that force victims' computers to do their bidding. The resulting pyramid of unsolicited email makes it much harder for ISPs to police the original offenders.
"Without the help of a worm, spammers' only other way of hiding from the law is to constantly open new e-mail accounts," Marketwatch continued. "Otherwise, a large quantity of their messages will bounce back. After all, how can a spammer maintain a mailing list if none of the recipients want to be on the list in the first place?"
