Malicious Spam Surges in 3Q: Report

The number of spam messages harboring malware spiked dramatically in the third quarter, according to a new report from security software vendor Kaspersky Lab, a trend that figures to continue through the rest of the year.

As eSecurity Planet reports, these new malware variants use socially engineering tactics and well-disguised code to snare users’ personal information. PayPal, eBay and Facebook again were among the most heavily targeted sites, but security researchers are advising people to be on the lookout for a bunch of new campaigns centered around the holidays and major popular culture events.

The U.S. was still the leading source country for spam in the third quarter, accounting for 12.9 percent of all spam emails. India checked in second at 7.6 percent while Vietnam (5.1 percent), the UK (4.9 percent) and Russia (4.9 percent) rounded out the top five.

In the third quarter, spam of all types represented an average of 82.3 percent of all email traffic and malicious spam surged to a record high of 4.6 percent of all email, according to a report from security software vendor Kaspersky Lab.

The more than doubling of spam emails containing malicious attachments from 1.9 percent last quarter to 4.6 percent this time around was mainly due to the closure of the SpamIt partner program in September.

Read the full story at eSecurity Planet:


Malicious Spam Traffic Hits Record High in 3Q