Fighting a spam fire with a DDoS

[Isaac C.]

> Date: Wed, 01 Dec 2004 12:24:47 -0600
> From: "Brian Kelsay" <Brian.Kelsay at kcc.usda.gov>
> Subject: Fighting a spam fire with a DDoS
> To: <kclug at kclug.org>
> Message-ID: <s1adb816.020 at KCC.USDA.GOV>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
> 
> This method looks like it is being accepted by the
> general public.
> I only hope that something positive comes about from
> it and not 
> just more net slow-downs in the long run.
> 
> Spammers get taste of their own medicine
>
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/cd592a7a-433e-11d9-bea1-00000e2511c8.html
> 
> Brian Kelsay
> 

This idea didn't sound like a good one the first time
I heard about it years ago, and it still doesn't now.

-- Warning: rambling rant aimed at no one in
particular follows --

There is a finite amount of bandwidth out there, so
why do we want to use up even more of it?

It's funny when people use terms like "business model"
in relation to spammers because it paints a picture of
spammers as clean, intelligent, well-organized
business professionals which I think is rather
inaccurate.  Rather, I see spammers as a very untidy
bunch of no-account hoodlums of various shapes, sizes,
and dispositions.  *Some* spammers might be dissuaded
by a DDoS campaign, but since DDoS and spam are only
marginally different (i.e. they're both floods of
useless crap data that drastically reduce your
efficiency), I really doubt it's going to have much
impact overall.  In any case, even assuming some best
case scenario where the DDoS actually targets the
right computers (it won't) and the spammers have a
miraculous Grinch-style change of heart (they won't),
there's still this basic problem:  there's always a
fresh crop of young teenagers who can send out
boatloads more spam as an effective
DDoS/annoyance/way-to-get-back-at-the whole-world.

So... I really don't think DDoSing spammers is a good
idea.  It's just a modern form of childish
vigilante-ism and one that I don't expect to be
particularly effective.


=====
-- 
Furry cows moo and decompress.


		
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