Vardan Kushnir
Encyclopedia
Vardan Vardanovich Kushnir (November 22, 1969 – July 24, 2005) was a notorious spammer of Armenian
-Jewish descent who ran the American Language Center (ALC) and who is believed to have spammed the entire population of Russian-language
Internet
users with ads for his language courses. Kushnir was murdered in 2005.
, the United States and Israel
.
Over the course of 2004 his output began to fall. He was almost completely forced off public email systems and resorted instead to using pager
network ICQ
.
Public opprobrium against him was so great that his personal information was widely posted throughout the internet. The country's deputy minister of communications, Andrey Korotkov
, recorded a message urging Kushnir to stop what he was doing, and Golden Telecom, one of the country's larger Internet Service Provider
s, set up a computer that dialed ALC's telephone number
s continuously, playing Korotkov's message. The company's website also became the target of DDOS attacks, and its phone numbers were posted anywhere and everywhere on the Russian-language web
, as contacts for anything from sex to cheap real estate
.
During 2002-2005 Kushnir and his company attempted to use RiNet ISP for connectivity but was turned away numerous times and finally managed to connect via a neighborhood SOHO-styled company. It is worth noting that Kushnir did not send E-mail spam
directly from his connection.
A lawyer named Anton Sergo filed a complaint with the Antitrust
Authority which oversees advertising in Russia. Kushnir at first snubbed the hearings, until proceedings were started against him for noncompliance. He finally showed up and said he had no idea who was sending the ads. The complaint was dismissed.
Legal sanctions against him weren't limited to Russia. In April 2001, the state of Kansas
ordered him and an associate, Florida
resident Michael Walker, to stop their spam-promotion of stock in Sophim Inc., on the grounds that not only was Sophim not registered at the time, but neither he nor Walker were licensed brokers.
Those who knew him attributed his spamming, which his ALC partner disapproved of and which did not really generate much business for the center, to megalomania
: "He only did it because he was obsessed with it. He wanted to be somebody, to be recognized somehow. So he way overdid it."
According to former employees, he was strongly influenced by Scientology
and made hiring decisions based on the results of a 400-item questionnaire
derived from a Scientology text.
he shared with his mother on Sadovaya-Karetnaya Street in central Moscow
. An autopsy
determined that he had died after suffering repeated blows to the head. According to police, his apartment and personal belongings had been ransacked. They did not believe the killing was related to his spamming. Traces of a strong tranquilizer
were found in a glass
, therefore investigators theorize it was merely a robbery
gone bad.
Lending credence to this theory, he was last seen alive as he was leaving the Hungry Duck in the company of three women, who may have administered the fatal beating when he woke prematurely from his spiked drink.
The Russian media could scarcely conceal their glee at Kushnir's death, since his spam overloaded many of the country's inboxes. His spam, and others, had also led to many server
s blocking all emails from the .ru
domain
, hindering Russian users' ability to connect with the rest of the world. While he was not the sole source of Russia's spam problem, he personified it to many both within and outside Russia.
In August 2005, Russian media reported the Moscow criminal investigation directorate detained four people it claimed were involved in the homicide. The four claim Kushnir made sexual advances to one of them, a 15-year-old girl, then threatened another in the group who came to her defense. The latter then claimed to have struck Kushnir on the head in self-defense
.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
-Jewish descent who ran the American Language Center (ALC) and who is believed to have spammed the entire population of Russian-language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
users with ads for his language courses. Kushnir was murdered in 2005.
Career
According to some estimates, his ads reached 25 million users at his peak, between 2003 and 2004. Although only Muscovites were eligible to sign up, the ads went to many other countries, including UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, the United States and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Over the course of 2004 his output began to fall. He was almost completely forced off public email systems and resorted instead to using pager
Pager
A pager is a simple personal telecommunications device for short messages. A one-way numeric pager can only receive a message consisting of a few digits, typically a phone number that the user is then requested to call...
network ICQ
ICQ
ICQ is an instant messaging computer program, which was first developed and popularized by the Israeli company Mirabilis, then bought by America Online, and since April 2010 owned by Mail.ru Group. The name ICQ is a homophone for the phrase "I seek you"...
.
Public opprobrium against him was so great that his personal information was widely posted throughout the internet. The country's deputy minister of communications, Andrey Korotkov
Andrey Korotkov
Dr. Andrey Korotkov - First Deputy Communications and Informatisation Minister in Russia , Senior Vice President and CIO of Bank VTB....
, recorded a message urging Kushnir to stop what he was doing, and Golden Telecom, one of the country's larger Internet Service Provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s, set up a computer that dialed ALC's telephone number
Telephone number
A telephone number or phone number is a sequence of digits used to call from one telephone line to another in a public switched telephone network. When telephone numbers were invented, they were short — as few as one, two or three digits — and were given orally to a switchboard operator...
s continuously, playing Korotkov's message. The company's website also became the target of DDOS attacks, and its phone numbers were posted anywhere and everywhere on the Russian-language web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
, as contacts for anything from sex to cheap real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
.
During 2002-2005 Kushnir and his company attempted to use RiNet ISP for connectivity but was turned away numerous times and finally managed to connect via a neighborhood SOHO-styled company. It is worth noting that Kushnir did not send E-mail spam
E-mail spam
Email spam, also known as junk email or unsolicited bulk email , is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by email. Definitions of spam usually include the aspects that email is unsolicited and sent in bulk. One subset of UBE is UCE...
directly from his connection.
A lawyer named Anton Sergo filed a complaint with the Antitrust
Antitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
Authority which oversees advertising in Russia. Kushnir at first snubbed the hearings, until proceedings were started against him for noncompliance. He finally showed up and said he had no idea who was sending the ads. The complaint was dismissed.
Legal sanctions against him weren't limited to Russia. In April 2001, the state of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
ordered him and an associate, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
resident Michael Walker, to stop their spam-promotion of stock in Sophim Inc., on the grounds that not only was Sophim not registered at the time, but neither he nor Walker were licensed brokers.
Those who knew him attributed his spamming, which his ALC partner disapproved of and which did not really generate much business for the center, to megalomania
Megalomania
Megalomania is a psycho-pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, or omnipotence. 'Megalomania is characterized by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation by persons of their powers and beliefs'...
: "He only did it because he was obsessed with it. He wanted to be somebody, to be recognized somehow. So he way overdid it."
According to former employees, he was strongly influenced by Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
and made hiring decisions based on the results of a 400-item questionnaire
Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. Although they are often designed for statistical analysis of the responses, this is not always the case...
derived from a Scientology text.
Murder
On Sunday July 24, 2005, Kushnir was murdered at home, and his body was removed from the three-room apartmentApartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
he shared with his mother on Sadovaya-Karetnaya Street in central Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. An autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
determined that he had died after suffering repeated blows to the head. According to police, his apartment and personal belongings had been ransacked. They did not believe the killing was related to his spamming. Traces of a strong tranquilizer
Tranquilizer
A tranquilizer, or tranquilliser , is a drug that induces tranquility in an individual.The term "tranquilizer" is imprecise, and is usually qualified, or replaced with more precise terms:...
were found in a glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, therefore investigators theorize it was merely a robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
gone bad.
Lending credence to this theory, he was last seen alive as he was leaving the Hungry Duck in the company of three women, who may have administered the fatal beating when he woke prematurely from his spiked drink.
The Russian media could scarcely conceal their glee at Kushnir's death, since his spam overloaded many of the country's inboxes. His spam, and others, had also led to many server
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
s blocking all emails from the .ru
.ru
.ru is the Latin alphabet Internet country code top-level domain for the Russian Federation introduced on April 7, 1994. The Russian alphabet internationalized country code is .рф....
domain
Country code top-level domain
A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
, hindering Russian users' ability to connect with the rest of the world. While he was not the sole source of Russia's spam problem, he personified it to many both within and outside Russia.
In August 2005, Russian media reported the Moscow criminal investigation directorate detained four people it claimed were involved in the homicide. The four claim Kushnir made sexual advances to one of them, a 15-year-old girl, then threatened another in the group who came to her defense. The latter then claimed to have struck Kushnir on the head in self-defense
Self-defense
Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...
.
External links
- Spam! Bam! Thank You Vardan! (from The eXileThe eXileThe eXile was a Moscow-based English-language biweekly free tabloid newspaper, aimed at the city's expatriate community, which combined outrageous, sometimes satirical, content with investigative reporting...
) - The Sleazy Life and Nasty Death of Russia’s Spam King (WiredWired (magazine)Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
)