The Future of Anti-Spam: A Blueprint for New Internet

Abuse Tools

Garth Bruen

CEO, KnujOn.com LLC

Gbruen@knujon.com

http://www.knujon.com

MIT Spam Conference 2009

Our Predicament

• Spam is still here• Spam has increased• Illicit profits have

increased• Criminals are

organized and well-funded

• Anti-spammers are not

New Framework

• Rethink our objectives and strategy

• Develop a philosophy or set of principles for anti-spam

• Extend current tools in new directions

Anti-Spam Principles

1. Spam is not an impossible problem to solve2. It is possible to collect and process every piece of

unwanted email for examination and enforcement 3. Spam is about who benefits from it, not who sent it4. Spammers send mass email because someone pays

them to 5. The motivation is money, the goal is a transaction 6. Focus efforts on the transaction target or platform not

on the advertisement7. Eliminating transaction access removes money from

the illicit cycle

View of Internet transaction to a consumer

• The “Pie” on the Internet is often fake, never delivered, or substituted

• Internet transactions are a leap of faith

• That faith is being eroded

View of abuse reporting to a consumer

• End users do not know where to start when abused

• “Headers”, “IP,” “ASN”, etc. are foreign words ordinary users

• Expecting untrained, non-technical users to address the problem is a failed model from the start

• Adopt simple methods for handling unwanted traffic

Help Consumers Navigate Bureaucracy

• Build avenues to express grievances that generate trust

• Collect user abuse data on a massive scale

Data not Junk

Splitting Between URL Spam and Non-URL Spam

• URL Spam – spam advertising domain names - has a clearly defined policy structure behind it: ICANN

• Non-URL spam may be criminal and problematic but does not fall under ICANN’s purview

Redefining the Scope

• 480 BC: Greeks faced a Persian army that was one thousand times their size

• They forced the Persians to engage at a narrow pass: Thermopylae

• Changing the size of the battlefield put the odds in the Greek’s favor

• In essence they used math change a situation

Redefining the Scope

Redefining the Scope

• The Spam Balloon: Like a balloon the spam universe is full of hot air

• The knot is tied at the provider level

• Fix or remove the bad providers to let the air out

Addressing The Current Policy Structure

• Don’t write-off ICANN, industry, or government

• Work within existing structure to solve problems

• Test the current system to find bottlenecks

• Push system to limit and then enhance

Fixing Policy as well as Technology

• ICANN’s main compliance engine was six years old, out of date and overloaded by KnujOn’s process

• Registrars contracted by ICANN had no obligation to disclose ownership or location

• Two factors converged to create a permissive environment

Fixing Policy as well as Technology

• WDPRS has been upgraded to handle bulk reports

• RAA now states: “Registrar shall provide on its website its accurate contact details including valid email and mailing address.”

• Success here not just about technical tools

Focusing on criminal targets and using the law when called for

• Not all spam leads to illegal activity, but much of it does

• Behavior illegal regardless of Internet usage

• Not all e-crooks in U.S., but their resources are

Aggressive Brand Protection

• Brand violations constitute huge portion of the spam problem

• Brand owners either do not want to engage the situation or do not know how

• Direct involvement from the brands can change the game

Daily Tally

Total collected unique domain names

Minus Dead DomainsMinus Policy ViolatorsMinus Clear Criminal CasesMinus Brand Violations------------------------------------Remainder is examined,

process is enhanced, remainder is placed back into process

Success Model for Non-URL Spam

• What happened to stock spam?

• SEC:* Accepted reports from the public* Analyzed the emails and featured stocks* Suspended trading of featured stocks* Froze assets of those who profited* Indicted perpetrators

• Problem has been minimized and managed

Conclusion

• Existing tools can address the problem

• A variety of efforts must be employed in concert

• Previously failed • We can win• Don’t believe me?