Backstabbing backscatter
- TAGS:backscatter, bounceback, email
- IT TOPICS:Security
I haven't had this happen yet, but I became intrigued when I heard that "backscatter" events were on the rise. In this article for the IDG News Service "100 E-mail Bouncebacks? You've Been Backscattered" by Robert McMillan explains how spammers are fooling email servers by using bounceback messages. Â
When spammers are able to camouflage their messages as seemingly legitimate mail, they can slink past filters. Supposedly, these bouncebacks make up only a small portion of the spam that's out there, but I can see how it's becoming a useful tactic for spammers. Â
The backscatter can make users think their computers have been hijacked to send out spam messages, but the real damage can come from links in those bounced back messages that lead to websites with malicious executable files. Senders may feel compelled to respond to a bounceback that is informing them their message can only be dispatched after they confirm they're a valid send with a legitimate address.
I agree with McMillan when he says, "the problem would largely disappear if server administrators configured their mail servers to immediately reject mail that is sent to nonexistent users, rather than accepting it and then bouncing it back to the faked addresses." It really is that simple.
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