LLC (Limited Liability Corporation)
A U.S. business entity that is a hybrid of a partnership and a corporation. The owners of an LLC are somewhat shielded from personal liability.
Lumber Cartel
A fictitious group formed by anti-spammers in 1997 in response to assertions by some bulk emailers that wood-products companies were funding anti-spammers in an effort to preserve paper-based direct-mail promotions.
Mailer
A synonym for the term spammer, preferred by people who send spam. Also used to describe software designed to send junk email.
Mail bomb
A denial-of-service attack using a large volume of email, designed to overwhelm the victim's email program or server.
Mainsleaze
A mainstream, well-known company that resorts to spamming.
MAPS (Mail Abuse Prevention System)
An anti-spam service founded in 1997. MAPS operates the Realtime Blackhole List (RBL), one of the original spam blacklists (http://www.mail-abuse.com/).
Merchant account
An account established with a payment processor for the settlement of credit card transactions. Any spammer who wants to take credit card orders must establish a merchant account.
Munge
To modify a published email address so that address harvesters won't get a usable address, but humans can still figure it out.
Nanab (news.admin.net-abuse.blocklisting)
A relatively new Usenet newsgroup devoted to discussing spam blackhole lists such as Spews.
Nanae (news.admin.net-abuse.email)
A Usenet newsgroup devoted to the discussion of email abuse or spam.
Nanas (news.admin.net-abuse.sightings)
A Usenet newsgroup to which participants post copies of email or newsgroup spam they have received.
Newsgroup
An Internet discussion forum, such as news.admin.net-abuse.email or rec.pets.cats. All together, the thousands of newsgroups form a global bulletin board where people talk about every topic imaginable.
Nuke
To cancel an ISP user's account for spamming or for other policy violations.
Opt-in spam
Involves sending email ads to people who have requested to receive them.
Opt-out spam
Involves sending spam to recipients and giving them the option of being removed from future mailings.
Pink contract
A tacit deal between an ISP and a spammer under which the spammer is allowed to use the ISP's network to send spam or host a spamvertised site. Takes its name from the color of the Hormel luncheon meat.
Port 25
The computer port commonly used by Internet servers to send email.
Proxy server
A computer network service that allows users to make indirect connections to other network services. Proxies have been widely abused by spammers to cloak their identities.
RBL (Realtime Blackhole List)
One of the original spam blacklists, developed by the Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS) to filter spam and control access to spamvertised web sites (http://www.mail-abuse.com/services/mds_rbl.html).
Relay
An email server that allows an outside user to relay email messages to other Internet mail servers. Spammers often abuse open relays to obscure the source of their messages.
Rokso (Register of Known Spamming Operations)
A database launched by Spamhaus.org in 2000 to track the largest spammers on the Internet (http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/).
SBL (Spamhaus Block List)
A spam blacklist created by Spamhaus.org in 2001, based in part on data from Rokso (http://www.spamhaus.org/sbl/).
Screen name
An America Online subscriber's username. Also used to refer to any alias used by an Internet user.
Seed
An email account created by a spammer and added to mailing lists to test whether a run of junk emails is successfully delivered and is not blocked by an ISP's filters.
Sender ID
A technical specification designed to address the problem of email forgery and domain spoofing. Sender ID is backed by Microsoft and other high-tech companies and is currently being considered for implementation as an Internet standard.
SMS (short message service)
A feature available on many mobile phones that allows text messages of up to 160 characters to be sent and received via the cell phone provider's message center to a subscriber's mobile phone, or from the Internet, using an SMS gateway web site.
Sock puppet
A secondary screen name secretly used by an individual during online discussions to support his position in an argument. Spammers are often accused of creating sock puppets to defend their actions on newsgroups such as Nanae.
Spamhaus
One of the leading anti-spam web sites launched in 1999 by Steve Linford. The term is also generically used to describe an ISP or other company responsible for spam (http://www.spamhaus.org/).
Spam trap
An email address set up by a spam fighter to capture unsolicited email ads for the purpose of tracking spammers.
Spamware
A software program designed to send junk email.
Spamvertise
To advertise something via spam.
Spews (Spam Prevention Early Warning System)
A mysterious spam blacklist launched in 2001 by a team of anonymous individuals (http://www.spews.org/).
SPF (sender policy framework)
A technical specification designed to combat email forgery. SPF is designed to make spammers send mail from their real domains instead of hijacking the accounts of innocent users. The technology forms part of the basis of a proposed Internet standard called Sender ID.
Sponsor
A spammer who hires affiliates to send email ads on a commission basis.
Spoof
To alter the "From" line of an email message so that it appears to come from someone other than the actual sender.
T1
A digital telephone line capable of carrying data at one and a half megabits per second in both directions.
TOS (terms of service)
The rules governing use of an Internet service.
Trojaned
Refers to a computer that has been compromised by attackers and can be used, without the owner's authorization, to send spam or perform other actions.
Troll
Someone who creates newsgroup postings designed to spark a flame war or otherwise create controversy.
UCE
Unsolicited commercial email, or spam.
Unix
A computer operating system originally developed at Bell Labs in the 1970s. Today, a variant of Unix called Linux is preferred by many computer aficionados over Microsoft's Windows operating system. Unix-based software runs on the majority of Internet servers.
URL (uniform resource locator)
The address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web. http://www.oreilly.com is one example of a URL.
USCF (United States Chess Federation)
The official sanctioning body for over-the-board chess tournament play in the U.S., with over 90,000 members (http://www.uschess.org/).
Usenet
A worldwide bulletin board system that can be accessed through the Internet or through many online services. The Usenet contains thousands of forums, called newsgroups, which cover every imaginable interest group.
Username
The name subscribers use to sign on to the Internet. The username is also the name that appears to the left of the ampersand (@) in an email address.
Valid "From"
A return address on a spam message that represents an actual email account controlled by the spammer.
Verified
Refers to a list of email addresses or proxies that has been checked to ensure that its contents are valid.
WHOIS
An Internet service that enables users to quer
y the ownership records of domains (http://www.whois.org/).
Whitelist
A list of email or IP addresses from which an individual or service wishes to receive email.
XBL (Exploits Block List)
An anti-spam blacklist launched by Spamhaus.org in 2003 to combat the increasing use by spammers of Trojaned computers and proxies (http://www.spamhaus.org/xbl/).
Zombie
A compromised computer controlled by a malicious attacker for the purpose of performing a denial-of-service attack on other systems.
For more online definitions of spam-related terminology, refer to "The Spam Glossary," by Ed Falk (http://www.rahul.net/falk/glossaryzombieglossaryXBL (Exploits Block List)glossaryverifiedglossary.html), and "The Net Abuse Jargon File," by Andrew Nellis (http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/ip/freenet/subs/complaints/spam/jargon.txt).
Index
A note on the digital index
A link in an index entry is displayed as the section title in which that entry appears. Because some sections have multiple index markers, it is not unusual for an entry to have several links to the same section. Clicking on any link will take you directly to the place in the text in which the marker appears.
Symbols
#Lart and #Nanae, A Date with a Spam Queen
9/11, 9/11
A
Acme 5X24 series time transducing capacitor, The Time-Travel Spammer
Afterburner, Spamford Meets Hacker-X, Spamford Meets Hacker-X
Agreement Concerning the Operation of Bulk Hosted Web Sites, Shiksaa and the Pink Contracts
Al-Zalzalah, Saied, Nanae Battles over Block Lists, The Shiksaa Shakedown
violent threats against Steve Linford, The Shiksaa Shakedown
alt.2600, Spamford Meets Hacker-X
Amazing Internet (Pinacle herbal product), The Pinacle Partnership Program
AMD Dimensional Warp Generator, The Time-Travel Spammer
American Knife Depot, Ho, Ho, Ho, the Nazis Didn't Show
American Nationalist Party (ANP), Ho, Ho, Ho, the Nazis Didn't Show
American Red Cross, 9/11
amount consumers spend on spam, Introduction
Androstenone spam, Hawke Rips Off Dr. Fatburn
AOL, Mad Pierre's Homage to Shiksaa, AOL v. Davis Hawke et al.
reasons to target with spam, Mad Pierre's Homage to Shiksaa
v. Davis Hawke et al., AOL v. Davis Hawke et al.
Apex Global Information Systems (AGIS), Spamford Meets Hacker-X
Archie, Jennifer, Introduction, AOL v. Davis Hawke et al., AOL v. Davis Hawke et al.
Asensio, Cheryl, Fighting Dr. Fatburn
AT&T pink contract, Shiksaa and the Pink Contracts
Atkins, Steve, Terri TickleDescends on Nanae
Aureate Media, Hawke Tutors Bournival
Australia, Epilogue
Avalanche spam software, Shiksaa Plays Peacemaker, David D'Amato, the Titanic Spammer
B
Banks, Tony, Rokso listing, The Pinacle Partnership Program
Banned CD, Hawke Concedes to an Anti, Mad Pierre's Homage to Shiksaa
BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigations), Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles
Behind Enemy Lines web site, A Date with a Spam Queen
Biedron, Jon, Fighting Dr. Fatburn
binary bombs, Terri TickleDescends on Nanae
Blacklist of Internet Advertisers, Spamhaus Takes on Sue You Net
blacklisting ISPs, Spamhaus Takes on Sue You Net
Bo Decker, Birth of a Spam King, Ho, Ho, Ho, the Nazis Didn't Show
Boe, Randall (AOL general counsel), AOL v. Davis Hawke et al.
Boes, Paul (Rokso listing), Karen Hoffmann, Sock Puppet
Boldt, Alex, Spamhaus Takes on Sue You Net
Bournival, Brad, Hawke Takes on an Apprentice, Hawke Takes on an Apprentice, Hawke Tutors Bournival, Hawke Goes Home to Rhode Island, Amazing Internet Products, Patricia's Graveyard Gambit, The Phoenix Company, The Phoenix Company, AOL v. Davis Hawke et al., Epilogue
attempts to comply with CAN-SPAM, The Phoenix Company
cooperation in AOL lawsuit, AOL v. Davis Hawke et al.
introduction to spam by Davis Hawke, Hawke Takes on an Apprentice
SMS spamming, The Phoenix Company
tournament chess and, Hawke Goes Home to Rhode Island
Bowling Green Municipal Courthouse, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles
Brightmail, Epilogue
Brower, Adam (Spamhaus team member), The Shiksaa Shakedown, The Shiksaa Shakedown, The Shiksaa Shakedown, Karen Hoffmann, Sock Puppet
Brunner, Andrew, Shiksaa Plays Peacemaker, Hawke Rips Off Dr. Fatburn, Epilogue
Bubba Catts, Bubba Catts and the Crank Callers
Bulk Barn, Fighting Dr. Fatburn
Bulk ISP Corporation, Nanae Battles over Block Lists
Bulkbook, The, Amazing Internet Products
Burns, Conrad (Senator), CAN-SPAM
Bush, George W., CAN-SPAM
C
CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003), 9/11, CAN-SPAM, Shiksaa Hangs Up Her LART, AOL v. Davis Hawke et al., Epilogue
first lawsuits, AOL v. Davis Hawke et al.
FTC bounty system, Shiksaa Hangs Up Her LART
CAUCE (Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email), 9/11, CAN-SPAM
Certified Natural, Amazing Internet Products, The Pinacle Partnership Program, The Phoenix Company
chickenboner, Spamford Meets Hacker-X
Chickenboner.com, Bubba Catts and the Crank Callers, David D'Amato, the Titanic Spammer, The Shiksaa Shakedown, The Shiksaa Shakedown, Shiksaa Hangs Up Her LART
childhood asthma, highest rates of, Hawke Goes Home to Rhode Island
Christian Brothers, Shiksaa Meets the Cyanide Idiot
Cinco de Mayo Cyberpromo Mailbomb Day, Spamford Meets Hacker-X
Clark, Mike, Hawke Goes Home to Rhode Island, Amazing Internet Products, Amazing Internet Products, The Pinacle Partnership Program, The Pinacle Partnership Program, The Phoenix Company, The Phoenix Company
Club Plum Crazy, Epilogue
co-reg mailing lists, Shiksaa Meets Scott Richter
coffee and cats, The Education of an Anti-Spammer
CompuZoneUSA.com, Hawke Rips Off Dr. Fatburn
Conley, Glenn, Shiksaa, the Spammer Tracker
Connolly, Bruce (Rosko listing), The Pinacle Partnership Program
cost of spam, Introduction
Cotreau, Kevin, Amazing Internet Products
Cowles, Dasha, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles
photographing Karen Hoffmann, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles
Cowles, Tom, Tracking Empire Towers, Tracking Empire Towers, Tracking Empire Towers, 9/11, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles, Creampie Productions, Creampie Productions, Epilogue
arrest, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles
falling out with Eddy Marin, Tracking Empire Towers
MassiveMail spamware, Tracking Empire Towers
Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations and, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles
post-9/11 spam, 9/11
release from jail, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles
wife Dasha, Hoffman Catches Tom Cowles
Cross, Winston, Mad Pierre's Homage to Shiksaa
Cyanide Idiot, Shiksaa Meets the Cyanide Idiot
Cyber Angels, Terri TickleDescends on Nanae
Cyber Promotions, Spamford Meets Hacker-X
CyberCreek, Shiksaa Plays Peacemaker, Mad Pierre's Homage to Shiksaa
Avalanche bulk-email software, Mad Pierre's Homage to Shiksaa
Cyto International, Jason Vale Held in Contempt
D
Dark Mailer, The Phoenix Company, The Gingerbread Man
DDOS (di
stributed denial-of-service), Rise of the Spam Zombies
death threat to anti-spammer, Shiksaa, the Spammer Tracker
Deja News, The Education of an Anti-Spammer
Details magazine, Karen Hoffmann, Sock Puppet
dictionary attack, The Education of an Anti-Spammer, Tracking Empire Towers
Dimensional Displacement Diversion Act, The Time-Travel Spammer
Direct Marketing Association (DMA), Introduction, 9/11
dirty mailing lists, Shiksaa Meets Scott Richter
distributed denial-of-service attack on Spamhaus.org, Rise of the Spam Zombies
DMA, 9/11
Dorenkov, Natasha (pseudonym of Karen Hoffmann), Karen Hoffmann, Sock Puppet
Dr. Fatburn, Introduction, Hawke Rips Off Dr. Fatburn, David D'Amato, the Titanic Spammer, Amazing Internet Products, Fighting Dr. Fatburn, The Time-Travel Spammer, The Phoenix Company, Epilogue
counterfeit software and, Fighting Dr. Fatburn
first spam, David D'Amato, the Titanic Spammer
ripped off by Davis Hawke, Hawke Rips Off Dr. Fatburn
Dreighton, Mad Pierre's Homage to Shiksaa, Hawke Takes on an Apprentice, Patricia's Graveyard Gambit, The Gingerbread Man
Dunaway, Sean, The Gingerbread Man
Dutch International Products, Hawke Rips Off Dr. Fatburn