Industry News Home
More stories like this...
RSS FeedSpammers strike Gmail
Google's email service Gmail has seen a rise in the incidence of spam, research has revealed.
The popular email tool has been targeted by hackers, with the level of spam generated within Gmail doubling in just one month.
That is according to data from MessageLabs, which says the proportion of spam in Gmail rose to 2.6 per cent in February, up from 1.3 per cent in January.
One reason for the change is thought to be the role of CAPTCHA protection - a tool in which users are typically asked to copy distorted or skewed letters in order to authenticate their log-in.
This is meant to distinguish between humans and machines for log-in purposes - but MessageLabs says spammers have made progress in negotiating such computer protection.
Mark Sunner, chief security analyst, MessageLabs, explained: "There are several approaches a spammer can take to defeat a CAPTCHA."
"Email providers are feeling the pressure to keep pace but are limited to what a human can realistically solve, creating ever more doubt surrounding the long-term effectiveness of the CAPTCHA as a security mechanism for protecting email services from abuse."
Yahoo! Mail was the application accounting for the most spam in web-based mail - accounting for nearly nine in ten spam emails.
PC Tools, Experts in Internet Security and trusted by millions worldwide! Visit www.pctools.com to upgrade your protection.
Related News
- July 30, 2009 - Spammers translating messages to cause global web security issues
- July 30, 2009 - Online bank users 'prioritise security'
- July 30, 2009 - Top ten IT security threats of the future unveiled
- July 30, 2009 - Spam 'accounts for 92% of emails'
- July 30, 2009 - Web users 'should be cautious of fake anti-virus programmes
PC Tools Spyware Doctor™ with AntiVirus
PC Tools™ Internet Security
