October 2009 saw spam volumes averaging at 87 percent of all email messages, which is consistent with spam volumes observed in August and September 2009, but 10.6% higher than October 2008.
A notable highlight this month is the growth of spam originating from APJ (23% increase of 6% since June 2009) and South America (22% increase of 5% since June 2009) with a corresponding decline in spam originating from EMEA (28% decrease of 6% since June 2009) and North America (20% decrease of 5% since June 2009). This change can be attributed to a number of factors, including spam levels increasing; distribution networks becoming more dynamic as additional broadband connected targets are coming online every day; botnets continuing to jockey for position; and countries such as India, Taiwan, Thailand, and Chile becoming more visible as regions of origin for spam.
With respect to spam categories, Internet spam increased by 7% and now accounts for 39% of all spam messages. This...
Overall spam volumes averaged at slightly over 86 percent of all email messages in September 2009, which is a decrease of 4 percent since July 2009. However, it is considerably greater than September 2008 when spam levels averaged at 78 percent of all email.
Notable this month is that the percentage of spam containing malware has increased, reaching up to 4.5 percent of all spam at one point. When compared to August 2009, Symantec has observed a nine-fold increase in spam containing malware during September. With respect to spam categories, the main movers were Internet spam, which increased by 3 percent again this month and averaged at 32 percent of all spam; and financial spam, which decreased 3 percent to account for 17 percent of all spam.
Click here to download the October 2009 State of Spam Report, which highlights the following trends:
Overall spam volumes averaged at 87 percent of all email messages in August 2009, which is a decrease of 2 percent since July 2009. Health spam, which decreased by 17 percent in July, also decreased again in August and averaged at 6.73 percent. It is interesting to note that over 29 percent of spam is now Internet-related spam. Internet-related spam attacks are those that specifically offer or advertise Internet- or computer-related goods and services. Examples include attacks promoting Web hosting, Web design, and spamware-related products and services.
Holiday spam campaigns have also begun taking advantage of Halloween and Christmas. This follows closely after Labor Day-related spam in a nod to what some economists predict will be a very difficult holiday season for legitimate retailers.
While overall spam volumes averaged 89 percent of all email messages in July 2009, spam volumes continue to fluctuate. During July 2009 image spam continued to have an impact, reaching 17 percent of all spam during one point in July. Health spam decreased by 17 percent, while product and 419 spam both saw increases of eight and three percent, respectively, month over month. Similar to tabloid magazines, spammers continue to have a fascination about certain celebrities such as President Obama, Michael Jackson, and Emma Watson (from the Harry Potter franchise)—they all featured in spam attacks in July 2009.
Click here to download the August 2009 State of Spam Report, which highlights the following trends:
· Spammer’s Opinion Poll: President Obama and Michael Jackson...
In early June , Symantec reported that the FTC had worked with others to shut down the Internet service provider Pricewert LLC. While this was a good example of how security professionals can work together in the fight against cybercrime, spam volumes remained at a very high level throughout June, averaging 90 percent of all email messages. The recent passing of Michael Jackson and the subsequent public interest is yet another example of how spammers are willing to use any notable event as a cover to distribute their messages.
Click here to download the July 2009 State of Spam Report, which highlights the following trends:
Different Faces of Michael Jackson Spam and Malware
Fourth of July Holiday Brings Fireworks and More Spam Campaigns
