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| CURRENT SECTION :: TechZone | UK's most visited IT Contractor Site - 250k unique visitors March 2008 |
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Sophisticated new versions of spamware are being sent into the wild, ahead of what internet experts are warning could be the biggest surge of unsolicited messages ever seen. Anti-spam group, Spamhaus, says the trend of sending junk messages capable of taking hold of private PCs could mean 95 per cent of all traffic in mid-2006 is spam. The group said as sources of junk change, so too do the volumes sent, indicating the recent rise in unwanted mail levels to 75 per cent of all sent traffic. Of most concern is a batch of ‘stealth proxy spam software,’ which unlike spam direct from criminals, uses the mail relays of respected ISPs. By using a legitimate appearance, Spamhaus says the rogue messages are more difficult to extract and threaten to drown out authentic e-mail because of the sheer volume of incoming junk. They said US giant AOL already reports that over 90 per cent of its incoming spam comes directly from other ISP mail relays. If this situation continues, there are concerns that e-mail infrastructure could be under serious strain by the middle of next year. Spamhaus said the new software for proxy spammers, who use broadband PCs to pump porn and drugs spam, could lead to “visible signs of the beginning of a slow meltdown of email delivery systems caused by overloaded email queues and stressed spam filters.” To overcome the threat, they said the vendors of illegal proxy spam software need to be tackled, as do those providers who knowingly host them. Protective measures should also be practiced, including throttling the outgoing mail of IPs of broadband customers and separating the incoming and outgoing SMTP servers. Furthermore, professionals are urged to employ mandate e-mail authentication for all customers. Despite the alerts, Symantec recommend users simply install a junk mail filter able to extract web links, in order to tackle about 75 per cent of spam. Feb 7, 2005 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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