[LINK] Lycos screensaver generates DOS attack on spammers

[jeff.evans at iird.vic.gov.au]

Lycos screensaver aims to make spamming an expensive proposition
   (Ars Technica) Lycos Europe will begin offering a new screensaver that
   it hopes will make spamming an increasingly costly business. The
   screensaver, available at cleverly-named makelovenotspam.com, works by
   hitting sites that advertise in spam e-mails with an endless barrage of
   data requests. Lycos hopes to get a sufficient number of people signed
   up and running the screensaver so that spammers will see their bandwidth
   bills soar. The sites targeted will come from blacklists generated by
   Spamcop and other anti-spam organizations....

   Each user running the screensaver will request about 3MB to 4MB of data
   from the servers per day, far less than a DoS attack. As far the
   legality of the application goes, Lycos believes that since their users
   are not attempting to overload the servers and bring them offline,
   they're in the clear.
              <http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20041129-4424.html>

The site <http://makelovenotspam.com/> is timing out for me; I don't know
whether this is a case of getting a dose of their own medicine...

Regards

Jeff Evans
Manager, Business Channel
Department of Innovation, Industry & Regional Development (DIIRD)
Victoria, Australia
Ph 03 9651 9590 Fax 03 9651 9725
Email jeff.evans at iird.vic.gov.au
http://www.business.channel.vic.gov.au
http://www.business.vic.gov.au
http://www.export.vic.gov.au
http://www.ecommerce.vic.gov.au



_______________________________________________________

Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development
Government of Victoria, Victoria, Australia.

This e-mail and any attachments may contain privileged and confidential information.

If you are not the intended recipient, you may not distribute or reproduce this e-mail or the attachments.

If you have received this message in error please notify us by return e-mail.
_____________________________________________________