MX Logic Reports Surge in Phishing Attacks, Image Spam; Social Engineering Tactics Persist
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) March 12, 2008 — MX Logic, Inc., a leading managed security service provider, has observed a fast start to 2008 for spam and malware threats compared to previous years.
News Facts:
- Spam volumes typically decrease during the first few months of a new year, dropping by as much as 30 percent from holiday peak periods.
- This year spam levels appear to be steady and even rising, particularly with phishing emails, which increased 100 percent between January and February.
- Image spam also grew, increasing by 60 percent during the same timeframe.
- Social engineering tactics such as the Microsoft update notices or phony Google search results that forward users to sites that have been abused by the Google PageRank system continue to propagate.
- Several legacy threats also reemerged in January and February, including Drive-by Pharming and Master Boot Record Rootkit attacks.
Related/Useful Links:
| MX Logic Threat Center | ||
| Link to Sam Masiello’s blog | ||
| Spam Cost Calculator |
Quotes from Sam Masiello, Director of Threat Management, MX Logic:
“This year has in some ways bucked the trend as we’ve seen a number of unusual developments just in the first two months of the year with MBR Rootkits, Drive-by Pharming, and high spam volumes, which normally drop off after the first of the year.”
“This shows that spammers are as committed as ever to exploiting the vulnerabilities of email wherever and whenever they can, so it’s especially important to be vigilant about security.”
“While these trends and events are important to follow, using our MX Logic Email Defense Service can virtually eliminate the need to worry about them since it provides a flexible architecture with multiple layers of protection that are constantly updated.”
About MX Logic
MX Logic is a leading provider of managed email and Web security services that deliver enterprise-grade performance without enterprise-level complexity and cost. Our easy-to-use, award-winning services reduce risk and liability, lower overall IT costs, and increase productivity. MX Logic services are available through our industry-leading partner network. For more information, visit www.mxlogic.com.
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