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Direct Mail Industry News

Spammers Feeding off P2P Networks

April 18, 2005
Thomas Mennecke

In July of 2004, Slyck reported on proliferation of carelessly shared files. P2P newcomers, or those simply too careless to figure out how to share properly, were discovered sharing their entire root directories. This would leave the individual's personal information; such as accounts numbers, financial statements, credit card information and emails, potentially exposed to millions.

Although for the most part the exposure of otherwise private files is little more than mild entertainment for the curious, they are being exploited for more sinister uses. According to Blue Security, a spam/spyware management and solutions firm, spammers are utilizing a method called "P2P harvesting" to extract exposed email addresses.

As many already know, spammers need a constant and fresh supply of email addresses to further their business model. Stale or inaccurate email addresses will not draw in revenue. However, since a considerable amount of individuals mis-share their entire root director - including private email addresses - spammers have hit a virtual gold mine of fresh email addresses via P2P networking.

Not only are they obtaining fresh email addresses, they are obtaining fully legitimate ones. For example, let's say a spammer utilizes the Gnutella network to gather a fresh list of email addresses. He or she simply does a search for an email or Outlook file extension or perhaps a text document indication a mailing list. Once the spammer has obtained this very valuable information, he or she can easily fool any spam filter by making the spam appear to originate from a legitimate email address. Very clever.

In the study, Blue Security intentionally shared several files that contained 500 email addresses. The files were either clearly labeled text documents such as "email_addresses.txt" or Outlook data files. The files were shared on the eDonkey2000 and Gnutella networks. After only three days, each file had been downloaded 25 times each. Over the course of 10 days, over 700 spam messages were received - which included spam, scam sites and viruses.

Another interesting result of the study found that spammers were actually using P2P to share fresh email addresses. Blue Security conducted a search for "bulk mail" and found dozens of "fresh, opt-in” addresses. The search also found plenty of bulk mailer programs, along with the "crack" and/or serial code to bypass software protection.

Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to protect one's email address from spammers. Even if the individual is highly protective of their email address, his or her friends may not. If one’s friend is careless with their shared directory, it is possible for them to share an entire contact list.

Blue Security believes they have found a solution to the spam epidemic. Details on their proposal are very limited, and only refer to it as a "Do not call list" for email addresses. In our follow-up email to Blue Security, they would offer no further details.

"Unfortunately, since we're in stealth mode, we cannot reveal more details at this point."

While it would be desirable to know exactly how they would close such serious holes such as making emails appear to originate from a friend or collogue, the details of their research are never the less interesting.

Pitney Bowes launches mail management tool to support campaigns

by Julia Pearlman Brand Republic 7 Apr 2005

Bonthrone: 'mail continues to prove its worth'

LONDON - Mail and communications specialist Pitney Bowes has launched AddressRight Pro, which is designed to provide a quicker and more efficient direct-mail marketing service to support mail campaigns.

The mail management tool has been designed to ensure that customer communications are accurate and more likely to trigger a response.

Address files can be automatically verified against the Royal Mail's Postcode Address File and de-duplication searches will eliminate any wastage for better targeting.

The company said the service has been created with graphic design capabilities to enhance the "doormat appeal" of campaign envelopes, and barcodes that can be added to track and monitor response.

AddressRight Pro has been built in a similar way to all Pitney Bowes' hardware, with a graphical interface using a point-and-click control process, and wizards and templates to make the tasks more manageable.

Stuart Bonthrone, managing director of Pitney Bowes, said: "Direct mail continues to prove its worth as a marketing technique and appropriate, personalised communications are given generators of profitable custom."

SECAP ANNOUNCES NEW SI 3250 FOLDER INSERTER

• Advanced technology to automate the front office
• Capable of processing up to 2,500 pieces per hour
• Accurately fold, insert and seal outgoing mail with a push of a button.

West Conshohocken, PA (February 15, 2005) – Secap announces the introduction of the Secap® SI 3250 folder inserter. This convenient and affordable folder inserter helps improve office productivity by automating the process of folding, inserting, and sealing outgoing mail. It is an excellent solution for organizations mailing everything from invoices, and billing statements to general business and marketing correspondence to customers and prospects.

When an office staff is hand-stuffing envelopes, a folder inserter is the more efficient method. The Secap® SI 3250 speeds up distribution, makes mail preparation more accurate and professional and frees up valuable time and resources for activities more productive to growing business.

The SI 3250 is available in two configurations to accommodate a wide range of applications. It can be equipped with one or two paper feeder trays to meet many common mailing applications. It has been designed with an easy to use interface driven by a simple push button control panel and an intuitive LCD menu system. The Secap® SI 3250 incorporates advanced features like the self-replace moistener for sealing envelopes, which helps minimize maintenance.

Donna Fries, Accounting Assistant at Secap, offers the following opinion; “The Secap® SI 3250 is a fantastic solution for getting our invoices out to our customers. Instead of spending hours manually preparing the mailing, I simply load the documents and envelopes, and use the Secap® SI 3250 to get our mail out with the push of a button. It quickly and accurately prepares the mail and best of all I’m free do other tasks.”

Secap is located in suburban Philadelphia and offers mail stream management and solutions to organizations of all sizes. Secap offers a wide array of products and services to assist organizations in managing and controlling the costs in their organization’s mail stream. In addition to the new line of folder inserters, Secap offers a wide selection of desktop inkjet addressing printers, production and integrated addressing systems, mailing software, folder/inserters, tab and label affixing machines and shipping software solutions that are available throughout North America. For more details, call Secap at 1.800.523.0320

Contact: Mary Rokosz, Marketing Coordinator

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