Tracking Spam Botnets
At M86 Security Labs we undertake research aimed at providing our customers with optimum anti-spam protection.
Part of this research involves understanding the origins of spam,
and particularly botnets which are the engines used to distribute most spam today.
We have developed algorithms and processes which track spam according to the botnet it was sent from.
It is an ongoing challenge, as the spamming botnets are constantly in flux.
Botnets morph, become obsolete, replaced, taken down, and upgraded.
One thing is clear, a mere handful of botnets are responsible for the bulk of all spam sent.
This page pulls together some of the results of our latest research,
highlighting details about some of the most notorious spamming botnets.
If you have information you would like to share with us about these, or other spamming botnets,
please email us at TRACE@m86security.com
or make a post in the discussion forum.
Statistics for Week ending August 29, 2010
Spam by Spambot Type
This chart is a percentage breakdown of spam received at TRACE spam traps for each spambot type. Typically a small number of major botnets are responsible for the bulk of all spam.
Spambot Activity Over Time
This chart shows the history of spam received from each spambot type, as a percentage of total spam received.
Spambot Details
To learn more about the botnets we track, refer to the following list. Our references include aliases, features, command and control, and behavior on host. We hope this information will help researchers to better identify and target the malware behind these botnets.
 | Festi | |
| Lethic | |
| Bagle | |
| Asprox | |
| Waledac | |
| Rustock | |
| Pushdo | |
| Srizbi | |
| Donbot | |
| Bobax | |
| Grum | |
| Mega-D | |
| Gheg | |
| Xarvester | |
Spambot Discussion Forum
As part of our commitment to the security community, M86 Security Labs hosts a discussion forum about spambot issues.
Access to the forum is by registration. If you are not an M86 Security customer or partner, after registering please tell us a little about your interests on the authorization form.