Published August 19, 2010
Security firm Symantec has warned of a spam campaign threatening domain name registrants with a DDoS attack on their web site.
The subject line of the note is worded in such a way to appear as if it has been sent by the domain name registrant's web hosting provider.
According to a copy of an email posted on the Symantec web site, the author claims to represent a hacking network capable of a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack. The poorly-spelled note says the domain name registrant's site will be disabled unless USD$ 200 is transferred to the "group". Symantec says the intentional spelling mistakes in the email is an intentional tactic to evade content-based antispam filters.
A DDoS attack is one that usually involves multiple systems controlled by hackers hammering a target system with communication requests; to the degree that it becomes unavailable to legitimate traffic, such as a browser requesting a web page.
While authentic DDoS blackmail is not unheard of; those perpetrating such acts usually target large sites known to turn over substantial revenue. Symantec believes the messages in question are fake and may be just phishers attempting to gain financial details from panicked recipients in order to access bank accounts or commit various forms of identity fraud.
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