Spam E-mails Continue to Rise Despite Shut Down of McColo

According to a recently released report "Attack Intelligence Research Center Threat Report" by Aladdin Knowledge Systems, shut down of McColo, the spam hosting network, is not going to provide a big breakthrough in fighting against fake e-mails and malware.

Director, Security Research Division, Aladdin Knowledge Systems, Ian Armit, said that in terms of spam, McColo is "just the tip of the iceberg", as reported by vnunet on November 20, 2008.

Armit further stated that these networks shift their operations to some other network soon after shut down. The point to be noted is that it is a business which will keep running until its business model isn't affected.

The report further said that companies should work hard to comprehend the tools and mechanisms used by cyber criminals to give effective defense instead of releasing patches.

The report also disclosed that identifying the malware is just 50% of the battle anti-malware companies and experts are fighting. They should go beyond detection of malicious codes and find out where they are emerging from, who are benefiting from them and how they ultimately affect organizations today and in future. Moreover, companies and experts need to understand the importance of how these threats are created and delivered so that businesses can be protected today and be ready for tomorrow.

According to security experts, e-crime has evolved from a niche market to a highly profitable business. Earlier, it was used to peddle fake medication through spam, but now corporate operations and distribution systems have become integral part of attacks.

Thus, realizing the continuous change in e-crime methods, users should have to rise to a level where they can suggest best practices to the community and bring in innovations that help in securing content.

Moreover, Marshal8e6, the recently formed security provider, said in the third week of November 2008 that spam level is expected to rise to the same level though it fell by nearly 70% following the shut down of McColo. spammers are undoubtedly engaged in establishing new control and command servers, according to experts. The biggest challenge for spammers is to reestablish networks by connecting thousands of zombies still laden with malicious code.

Related article: Spam Scam Bags a Scottish Connection

» SPAMfighter News - 12/6/2008