funsec mailing list archives

Re: no poison for Joplin


From: Gadi Evron <ge () linuxbox org>
Date: Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:54:15 +0300

On 6/1/11 3:56 PM, Rich Kulawiec wrote:
On Tue, May 31, 2011 at 04:39:50PM +0300, Gadi Evron wrote:
On 5/31/11 2:16 PM, Rich Kulawiec wrote:
On Mon, May 30, 2011 at 08:33:59AM -0500, RandallM wrote:
Spammers do have a heart.

No. Spammers are sociopathic monsters.  If you have observed their

No, they are merely entrepreneurs with no morals and a criminal tendency.

Having studied spammers (and their strategies and tactics) for what is
sadly closing in on 30 years, I sharply disagree.  "Entrepeneurship" is
largely irrelevant (there are many examples of spammers who are not
engaged in any sort of enterprise); what *is* relevant is the behavior
pattern, which derives directly from their underlying peronality disorder.
This is part of the reason why there are no extant (living) ex-spammers,
despite the many claims of their existence: they don't stop because they
*can't* stop...much like other sociopaths, e.g., serial killers, pedophiles,
mass murderers, kleptocrats, etc.  (And given the acceptance of spam
as well as its explicit legalization in some jurisidictions, there is
often little objective reason for them to stop.)


That is simply factually untrue, and while your deserved respect for how 
long you've been dealing with spammers is something you have, it does 
not reflect as an expertise on criminal psychology.

Saying all spammers, especially today with the huge criminal 
enterprises, as psychopaths simply is impossible. There just aren't that 
many of psychopaths around.

In many parts of the world, spamming, running bots, etc. is an 
Occupation which is very accepted, and simply a way to make sur eyour 
children can eat. Do I forgive or excuse their behaviour? No. but your 
vast hand-wave as to who spammers are is simply untrue.

As is them stopping, many have stopped. Many no longer run bots, many no 
longer send phishing, and it's clear as gangs change geo-locations and 
disappear constantly. It's that huge of an underground.

        Gadi.
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