Ron Paul Spam Traced To Ukrainian Botnet

[Guest X-Fusion]

Ron Paul is not a botmaster.

 

Security researchers have shut down a network of computers responsible for sending out nearly 200 million spam messages supporting the U.S. presidential candidate last month, and after analyzing the server's software, it's clear that there is no such thing as a Ron Paul botnet, according to Joe Stewart, a senior security researcher with SecureWorks. "It probably wasn't even set up by a Ron Paul supporter," he said. "This whole system has been around since 2004. This [spam] somehow just landed in this underground spam economy."

 

When spam first surfaced, trumpeting Paul as the winner of a recent Republican presidential debate, the fact that it was being sent via illegally infected machines raised eyebrows. The spam messages have never been directly linked to the Ron Paul campaign, which has denied any involvement in the incident.

 

The Texas congressman is considered a long-shot contender for the Republican presidential nomination, but he has a strong Internet presence. His videos are popular on YouTube, and Ron Paul fundraisers recently were able to raise more than US$4 million in a 24-hour period.

 

Botnet Analysis

 

Stewart published an analysis of the botnet on Tuesday, connecting it to an Eastern European spammer known as "spm," whose company, Elphisoft, sends unsolicited email using a network of about 3,000 infected "botnet" PCs. Stewart believes that spm, and many of the people involved in his operation, are located in the Ukraine.

 

The botnet server used to manage the Ron Paul spam was located in the U.S. and shut down in mid-November, giving researchers a chance to examine the software on the machine, Stewart explained.

 

Apparently spm rented out his botnet to a middleman, a spammer calling himself "nenastnyj," who has also sent out messages promoting pornography, online gambling, and male enhancement technology. He probably paid spm between $100 and $1,000 to send out the Ron Paul mailing, Stewart said.

 

It is nearly impossible to figure out who nenastnyj really is, but Stewart made a few guesses, based on his previous spam jobs stored on the server. "Nenastnyj appears just to be a small-time spammer who doesn't write the spam software," he said. "Basically he just makes money by finding sponsors and then becoming a mailer for them and using someone else's mail service to send it."

 

This botnet is one of 16 controlled by spm's servers, which use a user-friendly, Web-based application called Reactor Mailer to manage spam mailings. "The interface is pretty slick; it's Web 2.0-enabled," Stewart said. "It shows that they really do view this as a business and they put out a quality product. They are trying to make a lot of money on this."

 

The spammers used a malicious Trojan horse program called Trojan.Srizbi to take control of computers and link them into the botnet.

 

Source: Robert McMillian

[Shagman]

It's those damn NeoCons.

 

http://RonPaul2008.com

[Guest X-Fusion]

Why do all you Canadians want Ron Paul to win? Is he pro-Canadian or something? I don't know many Americans that vote or know who Ron Paul is ..

[Shagman]

Ron Paul happens to be the leader of youtube video watchers, meetup groups, hes the presidential hopeful that wants to remove the government out of your life as much as possible. He as also anti-nafta, anti-CIA, anti-income tax, anti-war, and anti-IRS. Hes extremely pro-constitution, as every vote he has cast in congress, he based it on whether it was constitional or not. Plus hes the only Republican that has the chance to beat billary. He also feels that its constitution does not permit the federal government should have juristriction on abortion and would leave it for the state level to decide. He is one of the front runners in money raised in this quarter with $10.7 million. Wel like him and hour dumb politicians like to copy the US too bloody much, and hes laying the ground work for world freedom. Its hitting the campuses, the young people like his policies. History dictates all revolutions happen that way.

 

Watch the revolution:

 

Early Ron Paul during his 1988 run for prez under the Libertarian ticket.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88REf0tjZHo

 

Today under the republican ticket:

 

 

Count the meetup groups.

 

 

Stop the 23 year Bush/Clinton Tag team

Edited December 6, 2007 by Shagman

[Deanne]

Here is a Ron Paul Chatroom, if anyone wants to chat with other Ron Paul supporters.

[Guest X-Fusion]

Sounds like any president that starts running. He'll tell you what you want to hear until he finds out it's impossible when he gets in the office.

To be quite honest, I've given up on the republican party. I'll find a good democrat and vote for him.

[Ozzy10]

anyone who tells you they want to kill off income tax is an idiot and thinks the voters are idiots too

if the kill off one tax they will put up some other tax or come up with a new way of taxing people

you cant run a country without tax

[Shagman]

Yeah he addresses all that on Jay Leno.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8Kue1Podxs

[err0r]

he isn't the only republican with a "chance" of beating hillary *

[Guest X-Fusion]

To be honest, I wouldn't vote for him anyway. The plans he proposes sounds like a harbor for letting illegal immigrants and terrorist just waltz on into the country. Maybe that's why every other country loves him.