It's been almost a week since the Federal Trade Commission dropped the hammer on Pricewert LLC, a rogue ISP accused of all sorts of wrongdoings, and indeed it seems the takedown has had an immediate impact on the level of spam sent worldwide. According to multiple sources around the web, spam levels have declined as much as fifteen percent since last week, with notorious botnets Cutwail and Pushdo apparently being among those affected by this move.
Pricewert, which operated under various names including 3FN and APS Telecom, is accused of actively recruiting, hosting and participating in the distribution of spam, child pornography, malware and other illegal, malicious, or harmful content. While it's good to see at least something is being done against these scourges, the results from the Pricewert takedown are not expected to be as dramatic as last year's shutdown of McColo. In fact, following that incident, spammers may have put better backup systems in place to maintain control of their botnets of hacked computers.
The criminals who utilized the ISP's services will undoubtedly find new willing partners somewhere else. Pricewert has not yet been convicted of any unlawful activity, but a first hearing is scheduled for June 15.