Spam Mounts To A Peak For Irish Users In December

Statistics for December 2007 released on January 8, 2008 show that there has been a dramatic rise in the amount of spam sent to Irish business people. Over 72 percent of total e-mail assessed were spam that was higher than a level of nearly 65 percent in November 2007. The figures compiled are from e-mail messaging and Security Company, IE Interent.

The security company's researchers also found that there was an increase though slightly in the number of e-mails arriving with viruses from 3.15 percent in November 2007 to 3.35 percent in December 2007.

The December 2007 figures also showed that the amount of spam originating from different countries accounted for 26.75% from the U.S., 18.91% from France, 12.14% from Japan, 7.52% from United Kingdom and 5.82% from Germany.

Ken O'Driscoll, chief technology officer at IE Internet said that the trend of peak levels in December 2007 had been seen earlier too. He said that spammers know about low staff levels during December and this allows them to have a window longer than usual; so they send e-mail through hacked computers. They also know that people at this time sway in a shopping spree and are likely to purchase the products spammers advertise in their e-mails. ENN reported this, January 8, 2008.

According to the normal spam trend, the volume of such e-mails has been continuously increasing every year since the first counting and it is expected to keep on growing through 2008 as well. However, the level of spam from the U.S. is likely to fall, according to IE Internet security researchers.

O'Driscoll further said that looking back to 2002 one would find that most of the spam originated from the United States, but now spammers are shifting to other regions not merely because of laws against spam there but also because of a strong check on undeclared income in the country.

Researchers also noted that even with relatively low levels of viruses, it is solely the virus creators who are accountable to the high rates of spam given that most spam is generated from broadband-linked home computers infected with viruses.

Related article: Spam Scam Bags a Scottish Connection

» SPAMfighter News - 1/18/2008