It's hard to believe it's come to this, but only l or 2 out of 20 email messages are now not spam according to Barracuda Networks, which offers spam filtering services and which analyzed a billion messages to arrive at that figure.The speed with which this figure is rising is astonishing. In 2001, Barracuda says spam accounted for only 5 percent of all mail, hitting 70 percent by 2004, 80 to 85 percent by 2005, and 85 to 90 percent by 2006. While spam won't actually hit 100 percent next year, it could certainly be close. (For its part, Symantec pegs the 2007 spam figure at 71 percent, up from 56 percent last year.)
Whichever figure is right doesn't really matter: The truth is that spam is getting worse, and fast, no matter how many laws are passed outlawing the nuisance. (The linked story also notes that over half of business customers consider spam the "worst form of junk advertising" there is. My vote: Junk faxes.)
Another trend I've been seeing: Spam filters' false positives for good messages are getting worse, too, but at the same time you can't really live without the filter, can you? The takeaway: Check your spam folders regularly, and train your filter as accurately as you can to reduce false positives down the line.
10 Quick Fixes for the Worst Security Nightmares
In the world of comic books, every bad guy is an evil genius. On the Web, hackers, spammers, and phishers may be evil, but they're not required to be geniuses. They can make a healthy living just by exploiting known security holes that many users haven't bothered to patch. Or by relying on the propensity of millions of people to do things they've been told over and over not to do.
In the world of comic books, every bad guy is an evil genius. On the Web, hackers, spammers, and phishers may be evil, but they're not required to be geniuses. They can make a healthy living just by exploiting known security holes that many users haven't bothered to patch. Or by relying on the propensity of millions of people to do things they've been told over and over not to do.
The silver lining is that you don't have to be a genius to avoid these common attacks either. Implement a few simple fixes, and you'll avoid most of the bad stuff out there.
Fix 1: Patch Over the Software Bull's-Eye
Have you turned off automatic updates for Windows and other programs on the rationale that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Then consider this: Your programs may be very, very broken, and you don't know it. The days of big splashy viruses that announce themselves to PC users are over. The modern cybercriminal prefers to invisibly take control of your PC, and unpatched software gives them the perfect opportunity to do so.
Today, a hijacked Web page--modern digital crooks' attack of choice--will launch a bevy of probes against your PC in search of just one unpatched vulnerability it can exploit. If it finds one, better hope your antivirus program catches the ensuing attack. Otherwise you likely won't even notice anything amiss as it infects your system.
Today, a hijacked Web page--modern digital crooks' attack of choice--will launch a bevy of probes against your PC in search of just one unpatched vulnerability it can exploit. If it finds one, better hope your antivirus program catches the ensuing attack. Otherwise you likely won't even notice anything amiss as it infects your system.
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