The Spam Report - Q2 - 2009

Here's a portion of a report from Postini/Google on how much spam is out there and why. Some ISPs and hosts get taken down for sending out too much spam, which helps but those spammers find other ways to get junk mail sent out, unfortunately.

Over the past month, we've seen a series of high-volume spam attacks with multiple variants and new tactics. Our new bulletin gives you insight into the latest spam trends, tips on how you can get the best protection from your message security service, and tools for quickly troubleshooting spam.

Current Spam Trends and Statistics

This quarter, proliferation continues with an unpredictable pattern of drops and spikes as 2009 moves along. Overall, spam is measurably up: Q2'09 average spam levels are 53% higher than in Q1'09 and 6% higher than in Q2'08.

After last November's McColo ISP takedown, when spam volumes dropped by 70%, spammers worked overtime to fill the void. They succeeded: Within four months, spam levels rose back to pre-McColo levels. This upward trend continued through June 4, when another large ISP spam source, 3FN, was reportly dismantled. Spam volume immediately dropped 30% – not as extreme as McColo, but still significant. Although this created a sudden dip in spam levels, it also created an open invitation for opportunistic spammers to once again seize a market opportunity.

Over the coming months, we anticipate watching new players once again drive spam levels back up. Since June 4, spammers have already made up a significant amount of ground, climbing 14% from the initial drop.

-Tony

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