90% of E-Mails Sent Worldwide Comprise Spam

According to Internet security company, Secure Computing, nearly 90% of e-mails exchanged among people globally are spam. This has given rise to increased threats such as virus attacks launched on users' computers.

The company further noted that the vectors of spam attacks are no longer just simple e-mail attachments so that they can be detected or blocked easily. Instead these viruses float across the Net as malicious URLs embedded in the message of e-mail.

Emphasizing the emerging trends of e-mail virus, Varun Kohli, Product Marketing Manager of Secure Computing Corporation, said that the application of artificial intelligence techniques that began with image type spam are now increasing at a frightful rate. Also, the current popular techniques of spamming include SPLOG, SPIM, SMOG, PDF spam, Image spam etc, as reported by Sify on June 19, 2008.

Moreover, there has been a frightful growth in Internet fraud schemes recently, using techniques like 'pharming' and 'phishing' e-mails, counterfeit Websites, and instant messaging with abundant dangerous e-mails delivered every day. Meanwhile, phishers, by using the IM technique in their spamming, have been stealing huge amount of dollars every day.

Furthermore, more than 200 newly created computer viruses, worms and trojans are unleashed "into the wild" every day, while 88% of PCs are infected with spyware, with a median of 25 spyware cases per system.

A survey conducted by Secure Computing revealed that 70% of Internet surfers have viewed a fake Website at least once, with 15% giving up personal data. Also, e-mail was recognized as the greatest security risk confronting organizations, according to 34% of respondents. 25% accredited to Voice over IP and 21% regarded the browser-related threats as the biggest risk. However, 79% of the respondents indicated that organizations might as well prepare themselves for Web-borne attacks.

Similarly, GFI Software, a vendor for network security, also revealed that about 90% of e-mails reaching companies are spam, with spammers adopting various methods to evade spam filters. The company further said that spammers had found another spamming technique that of using 'non-delivery reports' called NDR spam.

Related article: “Loopholes did not cause online banking thefts”: ICBC

» SPAMfighter News - 7/5/2008