A Look Inside Spam’s Numbers

Spam is a relentless threat to anyone with an email account, mobile phone, social network profile or instant messaging program. If there is a way that unscrupulous marketers can gain an advantage using technology and messaging tools, then they will pounce at the opportunity.

However, since spam is entirely reliant on electronic communications, it can easily be tracked and studied. By collecting data from anti-spam tools and filters those tasked with fighting the spam menace can put together information that not only helps them discover trends, but helps the end user gain the all important education that so many professionals feel is the best way to attack the problem of spam.

So, if you are one of those who wish to better educate yourself, or better educate others, read on.

Trends in the subject lines

One of the easiest ways that end users can identify spam is through the content of the message itself. Starting with the subject line.

Spammers understand the need to entice victims into opening the email by using an intriguing subject line. To do this they either try to scare the recipient with a warning message or instill curiosity by using a short, non-descriptive subject.

In early August spammers took a more retro approach using a subject line stating that a package from UPS, FedEx or DHL could not be delivered. More recently the following subject lines have become popular:

• One that simply reads “Changelog”
• One that states the email contains an end of the month statement requiring immediate attention
• One that claims to have come from a company’s internal accounts department
• A warning that the recipient is being notified of traffic charges
• Those promising adult content

Where is spam coming from?

It is no secret that most spam originates from developing countries. While the targets may be the inboxes of those living in the United States, Great Britain and Canada, they rarely come from these countries.

The top ten originators of spam messages are:

1. India – 15.6%
2. Indonesia – 11.7%
3. Brazil – 9.2%
4. Peru – 6%
5. Ukraine – 5.8%
6. Korea 3.6%
7. Colombia 3.6%
8. Taiwan – 3.2%
9. Italy – 3%
10. Thailand – 2.1%

Spam as a marketing tool

When people think of spam they often think of its use as an advertising medium. For years people have used different messaging systems to generate interest in their products. By category, the most commonly advertised products/services from the past month are:

1. Pharmaceuticals and medical services – 45.7%
2. Financial services – 20.6%
3. Adult content – 5.8%
4. Computers – 5.5%
5. Education – 4.3%
6. Travel – 1.7%
7. Gambling – 0.9%
8. Interior design – 0.7%
9. Surveys – 0.3%
10. Electronics and gadgets – 0.3%

Email attachments and spam

While marketing is commonly associated with spam, many spammers realize that the profit from their trade comes from other revenue streams.

Infecting computers with malware can yield much higher returns for spammers as these infected computers can be controlled as zombies or botnets, deliver scareware in the form of fake anti-virus software or simply send passwords and financial information back to a database.

Ever wonder what it is that infects so many computers? Take a look at the malware that was frequently sent via email during the month of August:

1. Trojan-Spy.HTML.Fraud.gen
2. Email.Worm.Win32.Mydomm.m
3. Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Deliver.II
4. Trojan.Win32.Yakes.bss
5. Trojan.Win32.Yakes.bwb
6. Trojan-Dropper.Win32.Injector.azq
7. Trojan-Downloader.Win32.FraudLoad.ibu
8. Trojan.Win32.Yakes.bqc
9. Trojan.Win32.Yakes.btp
10. Trojan-Dropper.Win32.Injector.bvw

Phishing

Phishing still remains a popular reason for people to send spam. The number of messages that can be considered phishing attempts has been increasing steadily.

The list of websites targeted by phishing scams covers a broad range of sites with online shopping, financial services, social networking, online gaming and even the US government represented:

1. PayPal – 35.91%
2. eBay – 10.17$
3. Habbo – 9.77%
4. Facebook – 8.67%
5. Orkut – 6.03%
6. Santalander – 3.19%
7. Google – 2.84%
8. RuneScape – 2.62%
9. Halifax – 2.37%
10. Internal Revenue Service – 1.94%

Even though the numbers in each of these lists represents only one month out of the year they show us two things: spam remains a serious threat that continuously needs to be addressed, and with the scope of the various threats changing from month to month education regarding spam is more important than ever.