More spam from "real" comanies?

[craigt]

I have seen an increase in the last couple of months of spam sent to non-existent addresses in my domain. What are these wingnuts buying, the 600 million email address CD for $10?

[Farelf]

Interesting - maybe just "probes", gathering data? For the next "600 Million Guaranteed Addresses" CD. See the recent "Strange little messages" topic http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=14015

No NDR, gets added to the list? Though your topic title makes "yours" sound like a different proposition, Conjecture is fruitless - perhaps a Tracking URL or two might shed some light but trying to fathom the spammer mind is seldom productive (there's none to fathom, "gazing into the abyss" and all that). Just keep reporting them. Spammers come and go but reporters abide.

[Geek]

What are these wingnuts buying, the 600 million email address CD for $10?

Way back in the early 90's, that disc of emails was such an accepted way of marketing, most city councils sold them for $0.25/address!

My, how things have changed.

[Farelf]

Or ... it could be a scattergun exploit attempt utilising a recently admitted vulnerability observed "in the wild" ("we are aware of limited, targeted attacks directed at Microsoft Word 2010" - but with potentially far greater scope):

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/securit...dvisory/2953095

...if a user ... previews or opens a specially crafted RTF email message in Microsoft Outlook while using Microsoft Word as the email viewer.

Extendes to MS Word 2003-2013, Word Viewer, Microsoft Office for Mac 2011, etc. MS Word is the default viewer for Outlook. Many, perhaps the majority, of PC installations are thus vulnerable to such an attack, and some servers.

[michaelanglo]

Or ... it could be a scattergun exploit attempt utilising a recently admitted vulnerability observed "in the wild" ("we are aware of limited, targeted attacks directed at Microsoft Word 2010" - but with potentially far greater scope):

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/securit...dvisory/2953095

Extendes to MS Word 2003-2013, Word Viewer, Microsoft Office for Mac 2011, etc. MS Word is the default viewer for Outlook. Many, perhaps the majority, of PC installations are thus vulnerable to such an attack, and some servers.

Do we have data on how many "PC installations" have Outlook ? ISTR that 60 % have Word. I only have Windows Live Mail client which is a descendant of Outlook Express.

[Farelf]

Do we have data on how many "PC installations" have Outlook ? ISTR that 60 % have Word. I only have Windows Live Mail client which is a descendant of Outlook Express.

Don't know offhand - but bundled with MS Office with some exceptions for "Home and Student" editions, variable by versions - which are 11-15 as affected. I think we can assume a significant degree of "penetration" as the commentators put it (somewhat graphic language IMO, considering we're talking about MS). <G>