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. The company is an industry pioneer, introducing and developing award-winning protection since 2001. Today, Bitdefender technology secures the digital experience of around 400 million home and corporate users across the globe.
Recently, Bitdefender won a series of important awards and accolades in the global security industry, including "Product of the Year" by AV-Comparatives, "Best Repair 2012" by AV-Test, "Editor's Choice" and "The Best Antivirus for 2013" by PC Mag, that confirmed the antivirus software’s leadership status among security products.
More information about Bitdefender's products is available from the company's security press room. Additionally, Bitdefender publishes the HOTforSecurity blog, where readers can find stories from the underworld of internet fraud, scams, malicious software - and gossip.