By Brian Bujdos
The New York Times reports that worldwide drug-related spam has fallen by as many as 50 billion messages per day thanks to a crackdown on infamous Russian spammer Igor A. Gusev. The huge 20 percent drop off may have gone essentially unnoticed by most people because of the widespread use of spam filters.
Companies that monitor the Internet, both in the U.S. and abroad, noted they saw a substantial decrease in spam beginning last week. Antivirus company Kaspersky Lab, based in Moscow, noted that the percentage of mass emails (spam) in the United States that contained drug-related advertising was 65 percent near the end of October. That number has fallen to 41 percent in the beginning of November, the company said.
Gusev was reportedly heavily involved in the operations of SpamIt.com, a website believed to be a crux in the proliferation of drug-related spam. In fact, a nonprofit organization named Spamhaus, which monitors global spam, listed SpamIt.com and its partners/affiliates as the world’s largest sponsor of spam.
According to United Press International (UPI), Gusev also utilized a partner website called Glavmed.com to propagate spam. Gusev’s lawyer said he was not involved with sending email spam through SpamIt.com or any website.
However, SpamIt.com ceased operations on Sept. 27, six days after the Russian investigation into Gusev began. The drop in worldwide spam coincided directly with the website’s closure, according to monitoring agencies. Gusev is apparently not in Russia at this time. Russian authorities are seeking to speak with him.
Although no formal charges have been filed against Gusev, the investigation continues, and Russian authorities have removed several hard drives, flash cards and laptops from his place of residence. The New York Times reports that specific, computer crime-related charges may follow. At the very least, Russian authorities say Gusev has illegally operated a pharmacy without a license, and failed to register a business.
It seems that American Internet security experts are calling the Russian crackdown on Gusev and his partners an important, groundbreaking development that reverses the country’s trend of turning its back on cyber crime. Some have even accused the Russian government of being in some way partnered with Russian spammers, perhaps because they were profiting from the mass emails, or were utilizing the tech savvy of the spammers for other reasons.
However, Russian President Dmitri A. Medvedev has sought to expand and legitimize the Russian Internet industry. Earlier this year, he and his cabinet visited California to meet with Silicon Valley executives. Perhaps it is no coincidence that SpamIt.com ceased operations about two weeks before California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his delegation reciprocate their visit to Moscow on Oct. 10.
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