Johannesburg, 23 Jan 2009
IT security and control firm Sophos has published its report on the latest trends in spam, and revealed the top 12 spam-relaying countries for the final quarter of 2008. The investigation reveals that, five years after Bill Gates predicted spam would be eradicated, it remains a major problem for computer users, as spammers veer away from traditional techniques and get creative - with no end in sight.
Furthermore, more spam is malicious and often designed to infect users` computers via sophisticated malware attachments or a link to malicious or infected Web sites, in order to steal sensitive information.
"The threat remains alive and kicking despite increased legal action against spammers, the occasional takedown of Internet companies, which assist the cyber-criminals, and constantly improving anti-spam software," says Brett Myroff, CEO of regional Sophos distributor, Sophos South Africa.
"Although the latest stats show that the proportion of spam relayed per country may have decreased year-on-year, spammers have turned to more creative and devious methods to ensure their messages reach as many unsuspecting computer users as possible."
New avenues of spam attack
Cyber-criminals have shown an increased attraction to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter during this last quarter, indicating that spammers are successfully adapting their methods to suit the current environment. These sites have become part of many computer users` daily routine.
"Cyber-criminals have cottoned onto the fact that social networking users can be more easily fooled into clicking on a link that appears to have come from a trusted Facebook friend, than if it arrived as an unsolicited e-mail in their inbox," says Myroff.
The notorious Nigerian 419 scammers, for example, have evolved, masquerading as Facebook friends in order to trick unwary users into parting with valuable sensitive and financial information. "Ultimately, while users are still falling for these scams, the fraudsters will continue. And while the authorities are making great progress, everyone must take steps to ensure they don`t fall victim."
US retains its crown as spam king
Between October and December 2008, the US relayed most of the world`s unwanted e-mails. China has leapt back into second place, relaying a larger proportion of spam than it did in 2004, and Russia retains third position. In contrast, other nations like Canada, Japan and France - serial offenders five years ago - appear to have made progress and are no longer present in the list of spam reprobates.
"Although there`s no denying that some countries have significantly reduced their contribution to the spam epidemic over the past five years, the US still holds the crown," Myroff says. "Though its spam contribution has significantly decreased since Bill Gates` proclamation - falling from almost half of all spam relayed at the end of 2004, to 21.3% by the end of 2007, and now resting at 19.8% - this shows there`s certainly no quick fix."
Sophos identified the top 12 countries responsible for relaying spam across the globe between October-December 2008:
1. United States 19.8%
2. China (incl HK) 9.9%
3. Russia 6.4%
4. Brazil 6.3%
5. Turkey 4.4%
6. South Korea 4.1%
7. India 3.6%
8. Italy 3.0%
9. Spain 2.9%
10. United Kingdom 2.7%
11. Germany 2.4%
12. Argentina 2.1%
Other 32.4%
Spam relayed by continent, October-December 2008
Asia continues to deliver over one third of all spam, and when combined with Europe, the two continents relay almost two thirds of the world`s unwanted e-mails.
1. Asia 37.8%
2. North America 23.6%
3. Europe 23.4%
4. South America 12.9%
5. Africa 1.4%
Other 0.9%
Sophos recommends companies automatically update their corporate virus protection, and run a consolidated solution at their e-mail and Web gateways to defend against viruses and spam.
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