Experts ponder spam, worm-writing connection

The glut of virus and worm-writing tools available on the Web has not only created an army of script kiddies but quite possibly elevated the danger associated with spam. Spammers’ motivations lie in turning a profit, unlike online vandals, who are trying to impress their chat room counterparts. As more channels for spreading bulk e-mail are shut down, some security experts fear that spammers are turning to worms to do their dirty work, or are getting in league with writers of malicious code. Several pieces of malware this year contained enough spam-related components or consequences to merit further examination of the link between the two. “Spammers are becoming more technically savvy,” said Vincent Weafer, senior director of antivirus research for Symantec Security Response. “They’ll use whatever tool is convenient and effective for them. It’s a tenuous link right now between spammers and virus writers — no one has been able to prove that link.” Full Story