Online marketers beware. What if someone’s e-mail inbox was inundated with hundreds or thousands of messages in a short period because of your Web site? It would paralyze online activities, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reported.
This e-mail onslaught are called “cluster bombs.” They work by locating a flaw in some Web sites that allow “the bomber” to pose as a victim and fill out Web site forms, like those that allow the user to sign up for a mailing list. Then, software called agents, Web-crawlers and scripts could be used to fill in thousands of forms immediately in that person’s name. That results in a “cluster bomb” of unwanted automatic reply e-mail messages to the victim, the Journal said.
The solution, said researchers at Indiana University Bloomington who identified the problem, is to set up the subscription system so that the user sends their own e-mail confirming registration, instead of the system automatically sending an e-mail back.
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