Last week we released our September State of Spam Report. Among the more interesting trends found is the return of malicious attachments in the spam message.

Here's one example that is particularly disturbing to those of us parents that have just sent young children back to school. The email arrives with a subject lines that reads, "We have hijacked your baby." The body of the email demands a ransom of $50,000 be paid and then tells the parent that a picture of their child has been attached - one of those don't believe us, well looky here enticements. The attachment of course is not a picture but malware.

Cory Edwards

Sept. 9, 2008