October 2007
BitDefender Captures Spam Used to Influence U.S. Presidential Election
BUCHAREST, Romania √ October 29, 2007 √ BitDefender╝, an award-winning provider of antivirus software and data security solutions, today found that a large wave of unsolicited e-mails exhorting the qualities of Ron Paul as a candidate for the U.S. presidency are being captured by BitDefender spam filters.
The spam e-mails originate from many different computers, with a wide geographical distribution, making BitDefender specialists suspect that the spammer is using a ⌠bot■ network for his "run.■
The e-mails appear to have false ⌠To:■ fields √ a hallmark of spam √ making it highly unlikely that this is part of a legitimate campaign.
"We haven't observed any previous cases of using spam to try and influence a presidential campaign, in the USA or elsewhere,■ declared Vlad Valceanu, head of BitDefender▓s antispam unit. ⌠It remains to be seen what impact (if any) this incident has on the outcome of the election, but it's certainly a worrying incident, as people of other political inclinations may feel compelled to counter with some spam of their own.■
For more information on BitDefender▓s complete line of security solutions, visit www.bitdefender.com
About Bitdefender®
Bitdefender is the creator of one of the world's fastest and most effective lines of internationally certified internet security software.Since 2001, the company has been an industry pioneer, introducing and developing award-winning protection. Today, Bitdefender technology secures the digital experience of around 400 million home and corporate users across the globe.
Recently, the company has won a range of key independent recommendations in the US, UK and across Europe, including ConsumerSearch, Which?, Stiftung Warentest and Taenk. Bitdefender antivirus technology has also finished top in leading industry tests from both AV Test and AV-Comparatives. More information about Bitdefender's antivirus products is available from the company's security solutions press room. Additionally, Bitdefender publishes Malware City providing the latest updates on security threats and helping users stay informed in the everyday battle against malware.