MCLEAN, Virginia, May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Unwanted and dangerous email increased dramatically in the
first quarter of 2013, according to a Q1 Internet Threats Trend
Report issued by Commtouch® (NASDAQ: CTCH), a leading
provider of Internet security technology and cloud-based services.
During the first quarter of 2013, an average of 97.4 billion spam
emails and 973 million malware emails were sent worldwide each day.
In March, the number of daily spam emails significantly exceeded
the 100 billion mark (117.8 billion).
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120501/529254 )
Spam levels doubled between December
2012 and March 2013, a 98
percent increase. Phishing also increased dramatically, with the
number of phishing emails swelling to more than 74 percent in
March, compared to the previous December. The largest increase,
however, could be observed with email-borne malware: levels of
emails carrying known malware were 157 percent higher in March than
in December. For virus outbreaks, the increase was a stunning 290
percent.
The biggest part of this growth occurred in March. Compared to
February, spam levels increased by 41 percent, known malware by 75
percent, and virus outbreaks by 124 percent. Only phishing volumes
broke the trend, as they only increased by eight percent in March.
The current increase is unusual in that historically spam and
malware levels rarely correspond. In the past, when one category
increased, the other often decreased or at least stagnated. The
significance of the first quarter growth is underlined by
comparisons with the respective volumes in March 2012: In March
2013, spam levels were 48 percent higher than the previous
year, malware emails were 255 percent higher, and malware outbreaks
were 251 percent higher. Only phishing levels decreased since
March 2012.
Other report highlights:
- Pump and dump spam, also known as penny stock spam, one of the
most popular topics among spammers between 2006 and 2008, made a
forceful comeback in Q1 after having all but disappeared in
previous years. In March 2013, pump
and dump spam dominated the list of spam topics. Eighteen percent
of the top 25 spam emails (with a combined volume of 46 percent of
all spam) were pump and dump mailings. The trick was the same as in
previous years. The emails advertise cheap shares with very small
trading volumes, indicating there was significant earning potential
in them. If only a few recipients can be fooled into buying the
stock, the value will rise significantly and the spammers who have
bought shares at the lower price can cash in.
- In Web security, the first quarter of 2013 saw extensive usage
of the Blackhole exploit kit. The kit is installed on target Web
sites allowing the installation of drive-by malware. The JavaScript
on the page scans the visiting system to determine the versions of
popular software. Once the kit has determined that there is
vulnerability, the relevant exploit is loaded, allowing the
controller to gain a foothold on the infected system. The Blackhole
controller can then deliver further malicious content.
- Current news events were extensively used to lure email users
to Web sites infected with malware. Fake email news alerts
allegedly coming from CNN or the BBC exploited breaking news
stories, such as the election of the new pope and the financial
crisis in Cyprus. They linked to
Web sites carrying the Blackhole exploit kit.
- The United States was the
largest source of spam in the first quarter of 2013, topping the
list of spam senders with a share of 9.1 percent of the overall
volume. The United States was
followed by Belarus (6.5%),
Spain (5.6%), Argentina (5.0%) and India (4.3%).
"The dramatic rise in the quantity of unwanted and dangerous
emails during the first quarter of 2013 shows that email
communication is still one of the key attack vectors," said
Avi Turiel, director of threat
research and market analysis at Commtouch. "Email is still the most
popular communication tool for private users and businesses alike,
making it an attractive target for cybercriminals. The rise in both
emails with malware attachments and drive-by-attacks also indicates
that malware distributors don't shift their focus from one attack
vector to another. To the contrary, they diversify their attack
methods in order to increase the efficiency of their campaigns and
in order to bypass some anti-spam and antivirus measures."
The Commtouch Internet Threat Analysis Team regularly publishes
related statistics within its report. The quarterly report is
compiled based on a comprehensive analysis of billions of daily
transactions handled by Commtouch's GlobalView™ Cloud.
To view the Commtouch Q1 Internet Threats Trend Report, visit:
http://www.commtouch.com/threat-report-April-2013.
About Commtouch
Commtouch® (NASDAQ: CTCH) is a leading provider of
Internet security technology and cloud-based services for vendors
and service providers, increasing the value and profitability of
our customer's solutions by protecting billions of Internet
transactions on a daily basis. With 12 global data centers and
award-winning, patented technology, Commtouch's email, Web, and
antivirus capabilities easily integrate into our customers'
products and solutions, keeping safe more than 350 million end
users. To learn more, visit http://www.commtouch.com.
- Blog: http://blog.commtouch.com/cafe
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/commtouch
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/commtouch
- Twitter: @Commtouch
Recurrent Pattern Detection, RPD,
Zero-Hour and GlobalView are trademarks, and Commtouch is a
registered trademark of Commtouch. U.S. Patent No. 6,330,590 is
owned by Commtouch. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
Company Contact:
Brian Briggs, Chief Financial
Officer
Commtouch
+1-703-760-3444
brian.briggs@commtouch.com
Israel Investor
Relations Contact:
Iris Lubitch
EffectiveIR
+972-3-5664007
Iris@EffectiveIR.co.il
U.S. Investor Contact:
Christopher Chu
Grayling
+1-646-284-9400
commtouch@grayling.com
Commtouch Media Contact:
Matthew Zintel
Zintel Public Relations
+1-281-444-1590
matthew.zintel@zintelpr.com
SOURCE Commtouch