Line of Business
2009 -- a Happy New Year for spammers
Spam levels plummeted after the shut down of Web hosting firm McColo. But the reprieve was just temporary. Spam is on the upswing again as hackers send more direct, targeted and professional-looking messages, a new report cautions. Includes Video.1/19/2009 5:00:00 AM By: Michelle MacLeod
Expect a resurgence of spam this year as cyber criminals quickly adapt to new policies on "domain tasting" and design more professional-looking messages, cautions the January Spam Report published recently by security firm McAfee Inc.
Watch related video: Cybercriminals profit from global recession - McAfee
The shut down of McColo Corp., a U.S.-based firm that hosted a staggering number of spam command and control centres – immediately cut spam levels by 60 per cent at the end of 2008.
But the reprieve didn't last long.
Spam volumes started rising again rising and are currently just around 20 –30 per cent less than what they were prior to the McColo shutdown.
Spam will return to its original levels as spam-friendly Web hosting service providers pop up in countries eager to embrace a burgeoning Internet market, said Dave Marcus, security research and communications manager at McAfee Avert Labs in Santa Clara, Calif.
He said free Web hosting sites and blogging services will increasingly be abused by spammers in coming months.
"With McColo offline, spammers need new ways to send spam cheaply."
Free or cheap services – such as Geocities, Blogspot and Live – allow users to create a public Web site without authentication. So they enable spammers to send thousands of messages and post links with very little investment, the McAfee report noted.
It says spam from blogging and other "do-it-yourself Web sites" arrives at the intended destination far more frequently than links pointing to domain names assigned by legit registrars.
Lack of punitive measures instituted by the Web host, and the attraction of free bandwidth make these public services very attractive.
Spam is increasingly targeted at corporate executives, the McAfee report says, noting that online networks -- such as LinkedIn -- are providing hackers much more information on such high-profile persons than ever before.
Such spam will be the channel through which hackers attempt to infiltrate corporate networks and financial data centers and gather sensitive information – which can then be used for blackmail or sold on the underground market.
With data breaches becoming widespread, many corporations will tighten their security policies over the next year -- especially as interaction with job seekers over the Web becomes more common, according to the McAfee report.
LinkedIn is often used to post resumes and that network will also be more vulnerable, as the economic downturn has many job seekers feeling stressed and clicking on links they ordinarily would steer clear of.
Scams promoting home-based business ventures – conducted via e-mail or social networking sites – are also on the rise, McAfee's Marcus said.
One reason for this is many laid-off persons are looking for new ways to upgrade their skills through quick and easy certification programs, or are more willing to take a temporary job that involves a pay-to-play strategy.
Page Navigation 1) "Executive" spam will be used to infiltrate business networks. – Page 12) Scams promoting home-based business ventures on the rise. – Page 2
3) The tax scam cometh. – Page 3
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