BitDefender Labs Find Email Spam Attachments Decreasing
BUCHAREST, Romania – July 24, 2007 – BitDefender®, a global provider of award-winning antivirus software and data security solutions, announced today that its labs have determined that the number of spam messages sent to recipients with PDF attachments has recently decreased. BitDefender researchers believe this decrease can be attributed to the relative ineffectiveness of this spamming method, as it requires more user interaction than usual e-mail spam.
BitDefender’s researchers regularly monitor spamming activities using BitDefender's proprietary outbreak detection technology, which can automatically detect new types of spam e-mails and create "signatures" later used by BitDefender security software to block them.
“We detected a peak in this type of spam about two weeks ago, but the whole wave was relatively short-lived," declared Vlad Valceanu, head of BitDefender’s antispam lab. “End users are finally becoming skeptical to opening email attachments from sources not familiar to them. As a result, it appears spammers are giving up on this tactic.”
The PDF spam wave noticed by BitDefender Labs several weeks ago was mainly comprised of fake stock tips, supporting penny stock "pump-and-dump" schemes. It raised concerns in the corporate world because text-based antispam solutions could not accurately filter such content, while blocking PDF attachments at the corporate gateway was definitely not an option.
"While spammers are sending out fewer attachments with their emails, we don’t expect to see a dramatic decrease in the overall amount of spam distributed,” added Valceanu. “Our research has simply found that spammers are finding newer, more productive methods in their delivery of spam messages. PDF spamming will likely cease to represent a significant percentage of the spam flow in the weeks and months to come."
About BitDefender®
BitDefender is the creator of one of the industry's fastest and most effective lines of internationally certified security software. Since its inception in 2001, BitDefender has continued to raise the bar and set new standards in proactive threat prevention. Every day, BitDefender protects tens of millions of home and corporate users across the globe - giving them the peace of mind of knowing that their digital experiences will be secure. BitDefender solutions are distributed by a global network of value-added distribution and reseller partners in more than 100 countries worldwide. More information about BitDefender and its products are available at the company’s security solutions press room. Additionally, BitDefender’s www.malwarecity.com provides background and the latest updates on security threats helping users stay informed in the everyday battle against malware.