Major Surge In Malicious Email Attachments Spammed Out In Q3 2008, Sophos Reports

- Identity thieves and hackers striking Windows users on all fronts, as Russia rears its head higher in the Dirty Dozen league of spam-relaying nations

IT security and control firm Sophos has released the results of its investigation into the latest spam trends and revealed the top twelve spam-relaying countries for the third quarter of 2008.  The figures show an alarming rise in the proportion of spam emails sent with malicious attachments between July - September 2008, as well as an increase in spam attacks using social engineering techniques to snare unsuspecting computer users.

The report, including video footage shot by Sophos, can be viewed online at http://www.sophos.com/spamreport

KEY FACTS:

- One in every 416 email messages between July and September contained a dangerous attachment, designed to infect the recipient's computer - a staggering EIGHT-FOLD RISE compared to the previous quarter where the figure stood at only one in every 3,333 emails.

- Sophos has identified that much of this increase can be attributed to several large-scale malware attacks made by spammers during the period.  The worst single attack was the Agent-HNY Trojan horse which was spammed out disguised as the Penguin Panic arcade game for Apple iPhones.  Other major incidents included a Trojan which pretended to be a Microsoft security patch, and malware, which masqueraded as a notice of a failed parcel delivery from firms such as UPS.

- Hackers are also using social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter to spread their spam messages, often including links to dangerous websites harboring spyware, adware and other malicious code.

- The top 12 countries relaying spam from compromised computers are:

1.  United States          18.9%
2.  Russia                    8.3%
3.  Turkey                   8.2%
4.  China (incl HK)        5.4%
5.  Brazil                     4.5%
6.  South Korea           3.8%
7.  India                      3.5%
8.  Argentina               2.9%
9.  Italy                       2.8%
10. United Kingdom     2.7%
11. Colombia              2.5%
12. Thailand                2.4%
Other                          34.3%

- Whilst the United States retains its position as the top relayer of spam, Russia has increased its contribution to the world spam problem, soaring from 4.4 percent last year, to 8.3 percent during this time period.

- It's good news for users of Apple Macs and Unix - the most widespread attacks are not designed to run on their computers.

QUOTES:

"The naivety shown by many internet users is downright dangerous.  In the past hackers were more like teenage mischief-makers breaking into sheds to see what they could find.  Today they're hardened criminals wearing hobnail boots with no qualms about breaking into your home and stealing everything they can get their hands on." - Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant, Sophos.

"For Apple Mac and Unix lovers, these major spam attacks just mean a clogged-up inbox, not an infected operating system.  But organised criminals are causing havoc for Windows users in the hunt for cold hard cash. Too many people are clicking without thinking - exposing themselves to hackers who are hell-bent on gaining access to confidential information and raiding bank accounts.  The advice is simple: you should never open unsolicited attachments, however tempting they may appear." - Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant, Sophos.

RESOURCES FOR JOURNALISTS AND BLOGGERS:

VIDEO ONE: "Two minutes of spam on Google Earth", shows how Sophos plots compromised botnet computers sending spam around the world, is available for media and bloggers to link to or embed on their own websites:

High-res version of video: http://www.viddler.com/explore/SophosLabs/videos/31
Lower-res version of video: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8_Fkn1bdO5w

VIDEO TWO: "Spam: A question of balance", where two members of Sophos staff argue over a game of armchair Jenga about whether the spam report is interesting or not:

High-res version of video: http://www.viddler.com/explore/SophosLabs/videos/32/
Lower-res version of video: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=30uCmWFADBw

FURTHER INFORMATION:

- Read the free Sophos Spam Report for Q3 2008: http://www.sophos.com/spamreport

- Podcast of Graham Cluley discussing the findings of the Sophos spam report:
   http://podcasts.sophos.com/en/sophos-podcast-034.mp3

- Contact details for Sophos spokespeople:
   http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/contacts/