Spam hits five-year low while phishing scams target Facebook
Noticing fewer emails in your inbox
trying to sell Viagra, low-interest loans and payday advances? The
Internet security experts at Kaspersky Lab say the amount of spam
landing in our mailbox has hit a five-year low.
The Spam Evolution 2012 report from Kaspersky suggests the drop in spam is due to the widespread use of spam filters by pretty much everyone, whether it's built in to Gmail or running on software on someone's computer.
But while the volume of unwanted junk mail is down, spammers are getting more creative to get you to read their messages. And they're also using sites like Facebook.
While spammers used to send emails pretending to be from your web host or IT department asking for your login details, they're finding new ways to grab your attention.
The email will pitch a deal that's too good to be true, and the victim will then enter in their details to buy the special promotion.
Also on the rise is phishing attacks on social networking services such as Facebook. Almost a quarter of all phishing attacks were actually launched on Facebook as scammers try and get a user's username and password.
Quite often, the scam will involve a user seeing a friend share an unbelievable video or picture. After they click on the video to see it, they're asked to type in their username and password on a fake login screen that looks quite similar to a real Facebook login.
That's when the account has been compromised, and cybercriminals send malware to their Facebook friends. After all, you're more likely to click on something shared by a friend rather than by a random user.
Have you noticed a decrease in the amount of spam you receive?
- Maurice Cacho, MSN Tech & Gadgets
Comments