FTC launches Operation Secure Your Server

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has identified more than 1 million IP (Internet Protocol) addresses providing open proxies or open relays, allowing spammers to hide their identities when sending unsolicited e-mail, and is alerting server owners that they might be inadvertently helping spam to flourish.

On Thursday, the FTC and 36 other government agencies from 26 countries launched Operation Secure Your Server, in which the agencies will e-mail owners of tens of thousands of servers, asking them to check the server configurations for possible open relays or open proxies. Operation Secure Your Server will direct owners of those servers to information on how to inexpensively check servers and close the openings.

"We're certain that a lot of people we're going to contact are not aware of the problem," said Don Blumenthal, coordinator of the FTC Internet Lab. "It's a significant problem."

The e-mail sent to server owners will direct them to http://www.ftc.gov/secureyourserver, which includes information on how businesses can fix vulnerabilities in their servers. The FTC Web page, http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/secureyourserver.htm, gives more information on closing holes in servers. The FTC will send out the e-mail for at least a couple of weeks, Blumenthal said.

The FTC e-mail, being sent in 21 languages, explains that "open relays and open proxies are servers that allow any computer in the world to bounce or route e-mail through them to other Internet mail addresses. Open relays and open proxies are often exploited by people who flood the Internet with spam. This abuse creates problems for consumers worldwide, as well as for law enforcement and your organization."

The FTC and agencies in Albania, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Hungary, Jamaica, Japan, Lithuania, Norway, Panama, Peru, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and the U.K. are sponsoring Operation Secure Your Server. The FTC doesn't have information on which countries have the most open relays or open proxies, but Blumenthal said he expects a number of U.S. businesses will be contacted.

Last year, the FTC and other international government agencies conducted a campaign against open relays, identifying businesses with potential open relays and urging them to close the relays.