Technique Of Image Spammer Has Changed

During the past few months, security vendors have observed a decrease in image spam, though it did not stop hackers from adjusting their techniques. Recently, the researchers have examined changing data in image spam.

MX Logic Researchers reported this week (June 11-June 18), that the spammers have opted for a new technique of online photo hosting services viz. Imageshack and Flickr. This will enable them to host their images. But, the researchers are hoping that it will not last long and will fail soon.

According to the news by SC Magazine on June 18, 2007, Director of Threat Management Team at MX Logic, Sam Masiello, that this kind of online photo hosting makes it easy to link images with email messages and mistakenly the users think it is some sort of pornographic or illegal stuff, and quickly click on it.

MX Logic, the security provider of email has noted many examples of fake emails, purporting to be from government organization. Moreover, it has also been observed that the spam attacks follow similar sequence.

This type of email attacks the business managers and executives and they use a deadly RTF file to download key loggers on the exploited PC. Further, the messages and mail are highly personalized. For defeating the present tools of image filtering, the spammers take the help of a new method i.e. spam campaign which use confusing and odd audio video files, graphic pictures, and text messages.

The spammers have slightly changed the technique of original image spam, which attaches an image to a message, but uses an external image host. Now onwards, the spammers have started using the background of image location, which attributes to an e-mail's body tag within the message's HTML code.

As per the news published by SC magazine on June 18, 2007, Masiello said that the most common technique would be to use exploited servers or set up servers themselves to host the images.

This month MessageLabs announced that the image spam levels were 15-20% of all junk mails during the month. Senior Analyst of message labs, Paul Wood explains that it is hard to measure the image spam, because it has a tendency to increase over short frequency.

Symantec's report on e-mail borne threats noticed a 10% decrease in spam image from March to April, when it was measured for 27% of the total spam.

Related article: Technical Problem in CA’s antivirus Upsets Users

» SPAMfighter News - 7/2/2007