Pharmacy Spam: Pharmaceutical Websites Fall into Two Distinct Operations

By Yuriko Kako-Batt, Anti-spam Analyst, Symantec Hosted Services
 
Spam is one of the biggest problems for all of people who are using email. And what we imagine when we think of the word of “spam” can be different for all of us and may include spam for dating, fake lotteries, fake designer brands, counterfeit watches, free software – and the list goes on. There are various types of spam that we all receive in our mailboxes every day, and I would be surprised if you had never received “Pharmaceutical spam” that includes hyperlinks leading to websites where you can buy your “little blue pills” without prescription.
This “Pharmaceutical spam” now accounts for more than 65% of all spam, as can be seen in the chart below.  This type of spam is almost always delivered some of the largest spam-sending botnets, including Rustock, Grum, Cutwail, Donbot.  
                       

In the world of pharmaceutical spam, the “Canadian Pharmacy” is perhaps one of the most well-known brands, an example of which can be seen below.

Much of the pharmaceutical spam currently in circulation is connected this website or similar ones such as the “United Pharmacy,” or the “European Pharmacy.”

These two websites almost exactly share the same underlying design, the (continue reading...)