To the Gallows with Sir Spam-a-lot -- Security Today

To the Gallows with Sir Spam-a-lot

By Ralph C. Jensen
Jun 04, 2007

I hate spam in my inbox, and I’m sure it doesn’t make you very happy either. It’s a waste of time and effort, and quite frankly, it slows the wheels of progress.

Federal authorities have arrested the king of spammers, a 27-year-old man described as one of the world’s most prolific spammers. Sir Spam-a-lot is Robert Alan Soloway. He was arrested in Seattle on Wednesday, and the feds are saying we could notice a decrease in the amount of junk e-mail.

If convicted, Soloway should have to spend many years living in the rat-infested underworld of spam.

Soloway’s distinction is that he is one of the top 10 spammers in the world, and according to Microsoft officials, he is a huge problem for the company’s customers.

A federal grand jury returned a 35-count indictment against Soloway. He has been charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, e-mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering—sounds like a modern version of Al Capone.

Soloway has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and a judge has determined that he is sufficiently well off to pay for his own lawyer. Prosecutors want Soloway to forfeit the $773,000 they say he made from his business, also known as Newport Internet Marketing Corp. In their case, prosecutors say Soloway used zombies to send out millions of junk e-mails since 2003. Zombies are programs that are infected with malicious codes and receivers of junk e-mail generally have no idea their machines have been infected.

Soloway isn’t just a nuisance. He crossed that line a long time ago. What is proper punishment for the king of spam? Imagine Soloway standing in front of a chalkboard writing, “I Will Not Spam,” for as many times as he sent out bothersome e-mails.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.

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