Pharm Spam Proliferates; Spam Attachments Disseminating Destructive Software On the Rise

May 19, 2011 8:15 AM

Spam e-mail messages promoting pharmacy or pharmaceutical-related ads, or pharm spam, remained the most common type of spam, according to the April 2011 “Internet Threats Trend Report” (PDF) released by Commtouch, an Internet security service provider. Pharm spam accounted for 28% of spam in the first quarter of 2011, as indicated in the report. In addition, the report highlights a 400% increase in spam messages using attachments to disseminate malware, software developed for destructive or illicit purposes, between March 1 and March 31, 2011. As noted in a Commtouch press release, though a massive botnet (a network of computers infected with software allowing a hacker to control them) was taken down in mid-March, dropping spam levels by 30%, such takedowns often result in significant attempts at rebuilding. This trend may explain the rise in malware.