FBI charges 23-year old Russian in Mega-D spambot investigation
If you recall, last year it was revealed that up to 35 percent of the world's spam could spring from one source: a bot known as Mega-D. According to FBI files acquired by The Smoking Gun, the bot infected over half a million computers and could sent ten billion pieces of spam per day. According to the files, an ongoing investigation targets a 23-year old Russian man named Oleg Nikolaenko, who is suspected of violating the anti-spam law. Two people have previously been charged with felony conspiracy for the spam assault -- which sold fake Rolexes and herbal stimulants -- both of whom seemingly pointed the finger at Nikolaenko as the actual transmitter. The Mega-D bot was shut down last year by FireEye network security after identifying it as a mega-source of spam. While it's back up and running today, it is only a shadow of its former self. Nikolaenko appeared in federal court in Wisconsin on Friday, was formally charged and entered a 'not guilty' plea.
[Image credit: M86 Security Labs]
