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Spam: It’s a predictable problem that shows up almost each and every holiday

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Warnings issued for Valentine’s spam and malware

11 February 2010

As is often the case around major holidays, especially those where giving gifts seems compulsory, most major security vendors are warning about scam emails focused on Valentine’s Day.

Many of the major security software suppliers, including Panda, Sophos and McAfee, have issued warnings for the onslaught of spam and malware for the Valentine’s Day holiday. Vendors have identified both email spam and search engine results – centered on the Valentine’s theme – that link to compromised sites containing malware.

As we have seen with major breaking news stories, search engine queries are frequently producing links to malware-infected sites. McAfee Labs warns that some of the most popular search targets include ecards and screensavers with Valentine’s themes. A recent blog post by the company demonstrates that searching the terms ‘Valentine’s Day Screensavers’ resulted in compromised sites for three of the top 10 results, including the top two spots.

It’s a predictable problem that shows up almost each and every holiday, and with good reason. If you perhaps lacked a bit of savvy and replied to a spam email in the past, the prospects of receiving even more junk poses an even greater threat going forward.

“There are a number of problems that arise from purchasing products from spam, the major one being that you have confirmed that your email address is live and you respond to spam” noted Sophos in its security blog. “This means that you will end up getting more and more spam.”

This article is featured in:
Internet and Network Security • Malware and Hardware Security

 

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