Increase in Spam Productivity

[EsoxLucius]

Researchers over BitDefender laboratories found and increase in spam productivity this month, due to world financial crisis. Although the global financial system could lose $2.8 trillion during the recession, the spamming industry could end October on profit, says the researchers.

There is a nice full article (http://news.bitdefender.com/NW869-en--BitDefender-Researchers-Find-Increase-in-Spam-Productivity-Due-to-World-Financial-Crisis.html) about it on BitDefender Press Center.

[Carver]

I've just noticed a increase in spam, it started yesterday. Mostly financial sites or having something to do with making money.

[TonyW]

It's only productive if people actually respond to the spam.

[EsoxLucius]

And believe me they do a lot! Think about many people that don't know the difference between an official mail from GMail Team, let's say, and one from a fake one. Maybe the first difference is that GMail will never contact you. ;D

Now imagine that there lots and lots of people that don't use a secure web-mail service, or an antispam filter, or even the tiniest type of protection on their computers. Many don't know what good could that bring them.

Oooooh the productivity is big, but hey we're all careful and smart people here. :lurking:

[JRViejo]

Because I already receive 500 emails a day on my business account (from the server straight to Thunderbird) and 99.99% of them are SPAM, I haven't noticed the recent increase yet my messages run the whole gamut of what's out there, viruses included (I must have received 100 emails on Obama's win alone!).

TonyW is correct, and a chain is a strong as its weakest link. Curious people will click, click, click, then call someone (me!) when they get in trouble. Their misery teaches me new things so I guess it's not all bad, from a geek's point of view. ;)

[EsoxLucius]

There will probably be an exponential growth of Obama wining bla bla... spam over the next few days, if no celebrity will do anything "cool" this week. ::)
But the last week was clearly dominated by the economy crisis.

Just take a look at this spam cloud from malwarecity (http://www.malwarecity.com/blog/the-spam-omelette-2-255.html).