Category Archives: ARIN

Tech CEO Sentenced to 5 Years in IP Address Scheme

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Amir Golestan, the 40-year-old CEO of the Charleston, S.C. based technology company Micfo LLC, has been sentenced to five years in prison for wire fraud. Golestan’s sentencing comes nearly two years after he pleaded guilty to using an elaborate network of phony companies to secure more than 735,000 Internet Protocol (IP) addresses from the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), the nonprofit which oversees IP addresses assigned to entities in the U.S., Canada, and parts of the Caribbean. Continue reading Tech CEO Sentenced to 5 Years in IP Address Scheme→

Adconion Execs Plead Guilty in Federal Anti-Spam Case

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On the eve of their federal criminal trial for allegedly stealing vast swaths of Internet addresses for use in large-scale email spam campaigns, three current or former executives at online advertising firm Adconion Direct have agreed to plead guilty to lesser misdemeanor charges of fraud and misrepresentation via email. Continue reading Adconion Execs Plead Guilty in Federal Anti-Spam Case→

Tech CEO Pleads to Wire Fraud in IP Address Scheme

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The CEO of a South Carolina technology firm has pleaded guilty to 20 counts of wire fraud in connection with an elaborate network of phony companies set up to obtain more than 735,000 Internet Protocol (IP) addresses from the nonprofit organization that leases the digital real estate to entities in North America. Continue reading Tech CEO Pleads to Wire Fraud in IP Address Scheme→

DDoS-Guard To Forfeit Internet Space Occupied by Parler

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Parler, the beleaguered social network advertised as a “free speech” alternative to Facebook and Twitter, has had a tough month. Apple and Google removed the Parler app from its stores, and Amazon blocked the platform from using its hosting services. Parler has since found a home in DDoS-Guard, a Russian digital infrastructure company. But now it appears DDoS-Guard is about to be relieved of more than two-thirds of the Internet address space the company leases to clients — including the Internet addresses currently occupied by Parler. Continue reading DDoS-Guard To Forfeit Internet Space Occupied by Parler→

The Now-Defunct Firms Behind 8chan, QAnon

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Some of the world’s largest Internet firms have taken steps to crack down on disinformation spread by QAnon conspiracy theorists and the hate-filled anonymous message board 8chan. But according to a California-based security researcher, those seeking to de-platform these communities may have overlooked a simple legal solution to that end: Both the Nevada-based web hosting company owned by 8chan’s current figurehead and the California firm that provides its sole connection to the Internet are defunct businesses in the eyes of their respective state regulators.

In practical terms, what this means is that the legal contracts which granted these companies temporary control over large swaths of Internet address space are now null and void, and American Internet regulators would be well within their rights to cancel those contracts and reclaim the space. Continue reading The Now-Defunct Firms Behind 8chan, QAnon→

Feds Allege Adconion Employees Hijacked IP Addresses for Spamming

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Federal prosecutors in California have filed criminal charges against four employees of Adconion Direct, an email advertising firm, alleging they unlawfully hijacked vast swaths of Internet addresses and used them in large-scale spam campaigns. KrebsOn… Continue reading Feds Allege Adconion Employees Hijacked IP Addresses for Spamming→

Cloud company CEO accused of orchestrating million-dollar IP fraud scheme

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U.S. attorneys have charged a South Carolina man with operating a scheme that fraudulently obtained internet addresses worth roughly $14 million that later were used by spammers. Amir Golestan was charged this week with 20 counts of wire fraud for his alleged role in a plot to create fictitious companies, then use those firms to obtain more than 750,000 IP addresses. Golestan’s data center company, Micfo LLC, obtained those addresses from the American Registry for Internet Numbers, a nonprofit that oversees the release of IP addresses only to companies that meet ARIN criteria. By impersonating at least 10 companies, the indictment alleges, Golestan created his own secondary market for the IPv4 addresses, which the government alleges are worth $13 to $19 apiece. Then, he sold many of those IP addresses via a third party, according to the indictment. Many of those addresses later appeared on a blocklist of known spammers […]

The post Cloud company CEO accused of orchestrating million-dollar IP fraud scheme appeared first on CyberScoop.

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A Tough Week for IP Address Scammers

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In the early days of the Internet, there was a period when Internet Protocol 4 (IPv4) addresses (e.g. 4.4.4.4) were given out like cotton candy to anyone who asked. But these days companies are queuing up to obtain new IP space from the various regional registries that periodically dole out the prized digits. With the value of a single IP hovering between $15-$25, those registries are now fighting a wave of shady brokers who specialize in securing new IP address blocks under false pretenses and then reselling to spammers. Here’s the story of one broker who fought back in the courts, and lost spectacularly.

On May 14, South Carolina U.S. Attorney Sherri Lydon filed criminal wire fraud charges against Amir Golestan, alleging he and his Charleston, S.C. based company Micfo LLC orchestrated an elaborate network of phony companies and aliases to gather more than 735,000 IPs from the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), a nonprofit which oversees IP addresses assigned to entities in the U.S., Canada, and parts of the Caribbean. Continue reading A Tough Week for IP Address Scammers→

Tracing Spam: Diet Pills from Beltway Bandits

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Reading junk spam messages isn’t exactly my idea of a good time, but sometimes fun can be had when you take a moment to check who really sent the email. Here’s the simple story of how a recent spam email advertising celebrity “diet pills” was traced back to a Washington, D.C.-area defense contractor that builds tactical communications systems for the U.S. military and intelligence communities. Continue reading Tracing Spam: Diet Pills from Beltway Bandits→