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On Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:04:10 +0100, Invisible <voi### [at] dev null> wrote:
>
> Can you send SMS from a computer?
Yes.
--
FE
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>> Can you send SMS from a computer?
>
> Yes.
1. How on earth do you do that?
2. Does any known malware actually exploit this fact?
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On Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:16:20 +0100, Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>>> Can you send SMS from a computer?
>> Yes.
>
> 1. How on earth do you do that?
There are a few free web-based services, but for commercial/bulk use you
would typically use a paid service.
> 2. Does any known malware actually exploit this fact?
Given that sending an SMS from your computer requires the cooperation of a
service provider, exploitation is somewhat impractical. Also, since even
those providers who offer a free service suffer an actual monetary cost
for each SMS transmitted, they have a powerful incentive to prevent abuse
of their service.
--
FE
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Invisible wrote:
>>> Can you send SMS from a computer?
>>
>> Yes.
>
> 1. How on earth do you do that?
Easy - almost every large cellphone service provider has some form of
web-based API you can use - we use clickatell.com's HTTP and FTP APIs for
web-based SMS transmissions via a custom PHP script.
> 2. Does any known malware actually exploit this fact?
It is possible, I suppose, but since there is no "SMS equivalent" for an
open SMTP relay, and SMSes usually cost $$$, it is not as easy as spamming
via email. Of course email costs time and resources (for somebody,
somewhere) just as SMS does, but usually the originator is paying real
money for the messaging - this limits spam. (Vs. email where you can
connect on port 25 to an open relay and spam for quite a bit, practically
for free, depending on your own bandwidth costs.)
--
Stefan Viljoen
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Invisible wrote:
> Stefan Viljoen wrote:
>
>> Looks like typical spam email nonsense words.
>
> ...except it's not email.
Granted, but a lot of the spam our server is blocking has much the same
types of disconnected words. Guess it is some form of probe - if you reply
to it, you're promptly buried - since some script or program somewhere
is "listening". I. e. some people will be stupid enough to hit reply on
that and say something like "huh? wrong number" and -that- signifies to
whomever is spamming that that cellphone (email) is "alive" and being read
by -someone-.
We've often had this with our clients, they get a weird email with these
types of words and then reply on it, often trying to get whomever sent it
to shut up. This instead -really- start upping their incoming spam as their
email address is IDed as a "live" one... guess its the same here?
--
Stefan Viljoen
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>>> Looks like typical spam email nonsense words.
>> ...except it's not email.
>
> Granted, but a lot of the spam our server is blocking has much the same
> types of disconnected words. Guess it is some form of probe - if you reply
> to it, you're promptly buried - since some script or program somewhere
> is "listening". I. e. some people will be stupid enough to hit reply on
> that and say something like "huh? wrong number" and -that- signifies to
> whomever is spamming that that cellphone (email) is "alive" and being read
> by -someone-.
Yeah, it's a standard technique for email. I've never seen it used for
SMS though...
(The other day, I made the mistake of clicking the "unsubscribe" link on
a Computer Weekly email. Sense then I've started getting burried with
emails from those morons!)
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Stefan Viljoen wrote:
> but usually the originator is paying real
> money for the messaging - this limits spam.
Plus, at least in the US, the carriers keep tight reign over exactly what
you can send and when, and they'll watch it, and they'll cut you off if you
break their rules.
Before you can send an SMS via a shortcode (rather than thru a phone), you
have to tell them exactly what will be in each SMS, as well as what will be
on any web sites you run, down to the punctuation and spacing. If someone
sends you the word "STOP" and you send them any messages after, your account
turns off.
It's really rather draconian here. I'm amazed anyone manages to do any sort
of business at all. Which is probably why smart phones (that bypass the
carrier for data entirely) are so profitable here.
--
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
I ordered stamps from Zazzle that read "Place Stamp Here".
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On Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:16:20 +0000, Invisible wrote:
>>> Can you send SMS from a computer?
>>
>> Yes.
>
> 1. How on earth do you do that?
Google Voice.
Jim
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Invisible wrote:
>>>> Looks like typical spam email nonsense words.
>>> ...except it's not email.
> Yeah, it's a standard technique for email. I've never seen it used for
> SMS though...
>
> (The other day, I made the mistake of clicking the "unsubscribe" link on
> a Computer Weekly email. Sense then I've started getting burried with
> emails from those morons!)
Blacklist 'em! Unless they're smart and use a migrating or false source...
--
Stefan Viljoen
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Darren New wrote:
> Stefan Viljoen wrote:
>> but usually the originator is paying real
>> money for the messaging - this limits spam.
>
> Plus, at least in the US, the carriers keep tight reign over exactly what
> you can send and when, and they'll watch it, and they'll cut you off if
> you break their rules.
Hmm yeah. But that's the US - out here they don't do that at all - they just
send whatever you want, provided you have enough SMS credit left.
> Before you can send an SMS via a shortcode (rather than thru a phone), you
> have to tell them exactly what will be in each SMS, as well as what will
> be on any web sites you run, down to the punctuation and spacing. If
> someone sends you the word "STOP" and you send them any messages after,
> your account turns off.
Interesting! Is this law or just a particular company's policy?
> It's really rather draconian here. I'm amazed anyone manages to do any
> sort of business at all. Which is probably why smart phones (that bypass
> the carrier for data entirely) are so profitable here.
I've always thought an advantage of living in the third world is the lack of
regulation (or lack of knowledge, money, personnel, time, etc.) to enforce
much of existing regulations. Doing certain stuff is easier, but then
conversely you lack protection and safeties that first world citizens take
for granted.
--
Stefan Viljoen
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