Spam senders aren’t just a slimy bunch, they’re apparently a busy bunch, too. So much so that spam now accounts for 92 percent of all email messages, according to a new study by Symantec. Let that sink in for a moment. Less than one out of every 10 messages you receive is legit.
That’s up from last year when spam accounted for 89 percent of all email. At this rate, in a little over two years, only about 1 percent of all email will be legit.
Spam isn’t just annoying, it also poses a security threat. These messages often contain links to malicious downloads and URLs, and according to Symantec, a new type of attack that spoofs an e-commerce site’s “live chat” feature is making the rounds.
“The phishing site involved bogus chat sessions to help the page look more authentic, trying to give cutomers the impression that the phishing website was interactive,” Symantec said.
Looking for a sliver lining? You won’t find much of one, though Symantec did say that the amount of spam containing a phishing attack decreased by 5 percent from June to July of this year.
Related posts: