Several staff members have asked why they are getting messages indicating they are sending out free porn and want to know why. The easiest way is to send out some email yourself to see how easily it is done.
Here are explicit instructions on how to send spam. They come from http://helpdesk.islandnet.com/pep/smtp.php This isn't a secret, it's worked this way for over 30 years.
Here's an example session. You can do this from pretty much any computer in the world, there are about one billion of them, pick one. In the example below, I picked qew.cs.
Note that if you type any value on the "from" lines that is not you, you are a bad person. You have not broken any laws, you are just bad. However, if you attempt to defraud someone, or your message is offensive in some way that violates existing laws (eg. hate crimes etc.) the message can be traced to the network connection (i.e. the ISP of the machine used). That could result in loss of the account or other sanctions if it is determined that it violates the terms of service. If you have a wireless connection at home, this is a good reason you should have security (WEP) enabled.
The mail will be delivered only to the ReCiPienTs you specify i.e. the
rcpt to:
line(s). The "To: " and "From: " lines inside the email are just decoration.
Put your cslab username in place of spambait in the example below.
On a properly configured email server the recipients have to have accounts at the mail server you connect to. Misconfigured servers are called "open relays"; they will accept mail for users at other networks and forward them on. You will need to know the smtp server for accounts on other systems (eg. your home isp)
Finally it will take you about 5 minutes to type this. You could run a program on your computer that would do this in under 5 seconds, and continue to do it as long as the computer is turned on... Thousands of people are sending you programs that will do it, so you just have to click on an attachment to run one. :)
The following is a transcript of an example spam session. You will
type in some of the lines (bold text), the others are the server's response.
% telnet mail.cs.toronto.edu 25
Trying 128.100.1.8...
Connected to mail.cs.toronto.edu.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 yonge.cs.toronto.edu Server SMTP ready at Mon, 5 Apr 2004 09:54:36-0400
helo x
250-That hostname is inconsistent with your address to name mapping.
250 yonge.cs.toronto.edu expected "helo qew.cs.toronto.edu"
mail from:<spambait@cs.toronto.edu>
250 Ok (verified)
rcpt to:<spambait@cs.toronto.edu>
250 Ok (verified)
data
354 Start mail input; end with <CRLF>.<CRLF>
From: Bugs Bunny <bbunny@wb.com>
To: Daffy Duck <dduck@wb.com>
Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2004 09:54:36 -0400
Subject: Loony Toons!
Hi User of [mailmerge:insert name here]
This is your old pal Bugs Bunny!
We have determined that your computer is irrepairably
infected. Please purchase the Acme Anti-Virus Hammer for
only $149.99 from 1-900-BUY-ACME (*)
Please have all your credit cards handy, we think the first
few will be declined, so you will have to keep providing
us with different numbers until you are out of cards.
When it arrives use it to pound the viruses out of your
computer. If you order the Deluxe Anti-Virus Hammer for
only $249.99 (plus s&h) you can pound the viruses out
of all your floppies and cd's also.
After you are done clean viruses from all paper copies of
any messages you have ever printed using the Acme Super
Deluxe Anti-Virus Paper Shredder ($599.99 + s&h).
(signed)
Your Friends at Acme
(* $49.95 a minute, average call 45 minutes.)
.
250 Roger
quit
221 yonge.cs.toronto.edu Out
Connection closed by foreign host.
That's all. Read your email, make the call and sit by your mailbox and wait for your new tool to arrive.