Secure Computing reports continuing rise in spam
ConvergenceAsia staff
27/08/2007

According to a report by Secure Computing, an enterprise gateway security company, spam levels has risen by over 30 per cent again, almost reaching the all time high of 90 per cent of all mail seen in December last year.

The recent spike in spam levels is attributed primarily to the ongoing Storm worm epidemic. Secure Computing's TrustedSource Labs has observed that majority of the compromised servers used by the Storm Worm gang to infect users resides in the United States. The Storm Worm has about 20,000 hosts worldwide currently, residing in over 100 different countries. The top 10 countries hosting the Storm Worm are:

1. US 60.61%
2. UK 4.21%
3. Korea 3.40%
4. Canada 3.40%
5. Russia 2.00%
6. Germany 1.93%
7. Romania 1.81%
8. France 1.74%
9. Poland 1.72%
10. India 1.63%

The Storm Worm threat utilises server-based polymorphism, which means that it is continuously being repackaged to make the malware appear different to signature-based anti-virus solutions. With the executable file being changed continuously, it easily sneaks below the radar of the leading anti-virus programs, which are largely signature-based.

"The primary reason the Storm Worm gang is in business is spam," explained Bejamin Low, Managing Director for Southeast Asia and India, Secure Computing. "Botnets are simply a means to an end. We see more and more spam on the horizon, particularly stock based promotions that they specialise in. Unfortunately, until people stop clicking on the links they receive in unsolicited emails, the Storm Worm will continue to grow."

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