Spam rises, now counts for 70 per cent of emails

Kaspersky quarterly report suggests corporate emails are being increasingly targeted

The past three months have seen a four per cent rise in spam, which now accounts for over 70 per cent of all email activity, according to the latest Spam Report from Kaspersky Lab.

Trends listed by the Q2 report include the return of eCards containing malicious software. Previously common during major holidays such as Christmas and Easter, spammers have now started to send them out across the year, specifically targeting card company Hallmark.

Spammers have also begun to more frequently target corporate email addresses, as Darya Gudkova, head of content analysis & research for Kaspersky Lab explained.

"Recently, spammers have begun sending out emails with malicious attachments designed to look like automatic delivery failure notifications sent out by servers," she said.

"Another common trick is to make malicious emails look like notifications from well-known online resources, and include links to malicious websites," Gudkova continued.

"The large amount of spyware in malicious spam attachments shows a regrettable trend - malicious users are persistently hunting for personal data, usernames and passwords, including those for online banking and payment systems.

"Kaspersky Lab recommends that users continue to exercise caution - even when dealing with emails that appear to be legitimate," she added.

Q1 saw a rise in the use of "white text" by spammers, where random text is added to the bottom of the email. Users don't notice the text because it's the same colour as the background colour, but through being part of the email, the text can persuade the spam filter that the email is not malicious, but a newsletter.

Q2 saw a development in this tactic by spammers in which they didn't even disguise the text, but merely separated it away from the rest of the email with a large break in text. Often featuring pieces stolen from news websites, subjects used to bypass spam filters included Hugo Chavez, the Boston Marathon, and the ongoing tension between North and South Korea.

The countries that send the most spam remained the same as the previous quarter, with China, the US and South Korea accounting for over 50 per cent of those mailed.