Definition: A spam bot is a program which assists spammers in spreading malicious links and materials on the Internet. By definition, spam bots can fit into three different categories, including those which:
- harvest e-mail addresses
- spam web forms online
- and, spam via IM or chat room
A spam bot can also refer to anti-virus programs and software.
For our purposes, we will use spam bot as a derogatory term to describe a program which spammers use to flood chat rooms with links and other actionable items, with the intent to disseminate a virus, spyware or other malware to an unsuspecting victim on the Internet.
Also Known As: forum bot
Alternate Spellings: spambot
Examples:
Judy: "Don't you know Yahoo Chat is full of spam bots?"
Walter: "I didn't know that. I think spam bots were responsible for that virus I received yesterday."
