New MAAWG Communications Channel Boosts Industry's Abuse Response Capabilities

New MAAWG Communications Channel Boosts Industry's Abuse Response Capabilities

October 24, 2007

    SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The
Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group, representing almost one
billion mailboxes from some of the largest network operators
worldwide, has launched the MAAWG Abuse Contact Database as
a new online communications channel to improve industry
cooperation among service providers, volume senders and
email vendors.  The database of email contacts provides
MAAWG members direct access to the appropriate person at
other MAAWG companies who can help resolve reputation,
malware and other fraud or abuse related issues.

    (Logo: 
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070124/CLW180LOGO )

    The new database will improve communications among a
significant portion of the industry and will ultimately
help provide better service to end-users.  For example, a
MAAWG-member Internet service provider can use the database
to send an email alerting another operator of a covert spam
attack and thus help reduce the volume of spam in the email
stream.  Before the database was available, industry
professionals often spent considerable time researching the
suitable contact at another company to address a specific
issue, according to Charles Stiles, MAAWG Chairman.

    The database is accessible only to MAAWG members and
only includes contact information for MAAWG member
companies.  It has been structured so that the contact
information remains hidden to protect members' privacy and
allows companies to define the contact issues relevant to
their business.

    "The MAAWG Abuse Contact Database represents the
great strides being made by the industry in facilitating
collaborative communication.  This resource provides a
win-win-win situation for mailers, mailbox providers and
most importantly for consumers," Stiles said. 

    The MAAWG Abuse Contact Database is available when
members login into the private section of the MAAWG Web
site at http://www.MAAWG.org.  The site also includes other
materials available only to members, including presentation
archives from MAAWG meetings, access to MAAWG committees,
working technical documents and other resources.

    About the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG)

    The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) is where
the messaging industry comes together to work against spam,
viruses, denial-of-service attacks and other online
exploitation.  MAAWG (http://www.MAAWG.org) is the only
organization addressing messaging abuse holistically by
systematically engaging all aspects of the problem,
including technology, industry collaboration and public
policy.  It leverages the depth and experience of its
global membership to tackle abuse on existing networks and
new emerging services.  Headquartered in San Francisco,
Calif., MAAWG is an open forum driven by market needs and
supported by major network operators and messaging
providers. 

    MAAWG Sponsors (Board of Directors): AOL; AT&T;
Bell Canada; Charter Communications (Nasdaq: CHTR);
Cloudmark; Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA); Cox Communications
(NYSE: COX); EarthLink (Nasdaq: ELNK); France Telecom 
(NYSE and Euronext: FTE); Goodmail Systems; Google Inc.;
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT); Openwave Systems (Nasdaq:
OPWV); Time Warner Cable; Verizon Communications; and
Yahoo! Inc.

    MAAWG Full Members: 1&1 Internet AG; AG
Interactive; Bizanga LTD; Internet Initiative Japan,
(Nasdaq: IIJI); IronPort Systems; McAfee Inc.; MX Logic;
Outblaze LTD; Return Path, Inc.; Sprint; Sun Microsystems,
Inc.; Symantec; Telefonica SA; Telus; and Trend Micro,
Inc.

    MAAWG Supporter Members: AcquireWeb, Inc.; Acxiom
Digital; Adaptive Mobile Security LTD; Adknowledge, Inc.;
Aladdin Knowledge Systems; Alt-N Technologies, Ltd.; Acxiom
Digital; Bandmail Solutions; BigHip; Bluehornet Networks,
Inc.; BoxSentry PTE Ltd.; Brandmail Solutions; CheetahMail,
an Experian Co.; Cincinnati Bell; Click Tactics; ColdSpark,
Inc.; Commtouch Software LTD; CommuniGate Systems; Constant
Contact; Critical Path, Inc.; Datran Media; eBay, Inc.;
eCircle AG; ECO; e-Dialog; eleven GmbH; Emma, Inc.; Entidad
Publica Empresarial RED.ES; Epsilon; Everyone.net, Inc.;
ExactTarget, Inc.; Facultas/Lyris UK; Fishbowl Marketing;
F-Secure Corp.; GetResponse, an Implix Company; Habeas
Inc.; iContact; Informz; Insender Technologies Inc.;
Insight Midwest, L.P.; iPost; Ipsos Interactive Services;
Kerio Technologies, Inc.; Lyris Solutions; Mail-Filters;
Mansell Group, Inc.; Merkle/Quris; Message Level, LLC;
Message Systems; Messagelabs; Messaging Architects;
Mirapoint Inc.; MTS Allstream Inc.; Netsuite, Inc.; Nextel
Communications; Perftech, Inc.; Pivotal Veracity; Premiere
Global Services; Responsys, Inc.; Rockliffe Systems; Rogers
Cable; RPost; RSA Security Inc.; Salesforce.com; Sana
Security; Sandvine Incorp.; S.C. Softwin SRL; Sendmail,
Inc.; SMobile Systems; Sophos Plc.; Splio; St. Bernard
Software; StreamShield Networks; StrongMail Systems, Inc.;
Synacor, Inc.; TDC; TDS Telecom; Team Cymru; ThinData; TMN
Group; Travelocity.com LP; TRUSTe; Tucows Inc.; UPC
Broadband Operations BV; Verisign Inc.; Webmail.us; Word To
The Wise; Yesmail; and ZDirect, Inc.


    For more information, please contact:

     Linda Marcus
     APR of Astra Communications
     Phone: [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]