Posts by Dan Field

Spammers dump images, switch to PDF files

PDF Spam

PDF spam is fairly easy to filter out... We have been automatically blocking it now for a couple of weeks (At www.ClearMyMail.com). Over the last few months the spammers have become a lot more professional in their methods.

They are testing and monitoring various new techniques, the PDF spam is just one of the many ways they are trying to get ahead of the spam filters. They are using methods that direct mailers have used for years... testing and evolving the methods that get the best response.

They are currently testing office type attachments. Excel & word files that claim to be invoices for example. These types of attachments cannot be blocked by type and need further investigation by the spam filter to determine what the content is.

Its a constant battle between the spam filters and the anti-spam companies, one that we aim to keep in the lead of!

Dan FIeld

ClearMyMail Ltd

Spammers stuff PlusNet email accounts (again)

Number 7 in the UK's Most Spam Targetted ISP's...

We have just finished analysing 2 years of spam data and it may be no surprise to some that PlusNet ranked 7th in our chart of the most spam-targeted UK ISP’s...

http://www.clearmymail.com/press/most_spam_targetted_isps.aspx

Looking at our statistics for yesterday we have seen an alarming increase in spam for PlusNet customers - shooting up a massive 62% against the same period last week

The worrying thing about this is that it appears that some of the targeted email accounts have not been used for several months. This could be a sign that the email addresses have either been stolen by hacking into the PlusNet systems or even sold to the spammers by an insider.

Spam gangs are now targeting UK ISP's much more effectively using new techniques that are easily able to by-pass standard spam filters. The cost of these attacks to the ISP can be enormous - they clog up mail servers, slow down customers Internet access and can cause physical damage to customers computers if they contain Viruses or Trojans.

Dan Field

Managing Director

ClearMyMail Limited

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