Where did all my Spam go?
Internet service providers Global Crossing and Hurricane Electric shut down the San Jose, CA, web hosting provider "McColo" on Tuesday after it was determined that the ISP was aiding criminals in the sending of Spam, perpetrating online fraud, and providing access to child pornography. McColo was used by some of the most active and prolific spammers in the world; the suspension of its services has resulted in a 75% decrease in spam, worldwide!
So, is Spam still a concern?
LuxSci’s partner in providing premium email filtering services, MX Logic, reports that even though the amount of Spam has decreased by about 50% on their systems and that this is the first time they have seen an immediate and significant effect in overall spam volume as the result of the suspension of a spammer’s activities.
However, even after this, spam still accounts for 91% of the total email through MX Logic’s filtering servers, at the time of this posting. Also, as we have seen in the past, the creation of a "vacuum" in the cybercriminal space merely opens the way for new kingpins to emerge doing business from other locations.
The war on Spam is nowhere close to being won. In fact, it is likely that the next generation of spammers and malware writers will seek to use ever more clever tactics and more insidious ways of distributing their content … so having excellent and proactive email filters (as well as good firewalls and malware scanners on your computer, themselves) is as important or perhaps even more important. The last thing you want is to be lulled into a false sense of security and then get hit with something new and vicious … be it malware, a phishing attack, or a new clever spam scheme … filtering saves you time, money, and aggravation.
MX Logic indicates that even though spam has not been increasing this year as usual, they expect a significant resurgence for the holidays.
So, enjoy the brief respite that we have now … and be careful what attachments you open as the holiday season approaches. Better yet, be sure anything suspect is filtered out before ever making it to your INBOX!
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