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In 2007, spam accounted for more than 90% of all email. Whatever measures you use to analyze this number, it all adds up to unimaginable volumes of server-clogging, productivity-wasting headaches for your IT personnel, networks and employees.
What may be even worse than the amount of spam being sent across corporate gateways, is the nature of the spam itself. The purveyors of spam are becoming more sophisticated even as businesses deploy more solutions to try and stop them. As older spam attacks are blocked, new threats and annoyances seem to crop up daily:
- Botnets – This refers to a collection of compromised computers called zombies that are running programs designed by hackers to do damage or to gain financially. The programs, in the form of worms, trojan horses and backdoors are often transmitted via email, and usually send yet more spam. So a botnet, having control over zombie computers can spew millions of spam messages before it is detected and stopped.
- PDF spam -- Often used in "pump-and-dump" stock schemes this form of spam includes its content in a .PDF file rather than an image file. Since many spam blockers solved the image spam problem of 2007, attackers are using PDFs to gain entrance to inboxes.
- MP3 spam -- Also used in many stock schemes, these are audio files that escape traditional spam detection. These files often use a female voice encouraging the recipient to purchase the stock in question.
- E-card spam – Another insidious trend where bogus electronic greeting cards are sent to unsuspecting recipients. These cards use Internet Explorer to hijack computers and install trojans that can steal sensitive data. In some cases, clicking on links within the card will release viruses that take over computers and use them to launch spam attacks.
Prism Email Filter, a St. Bernard Hybrid solution, blocks spam, viruses and phishing exploits before they can get near your internal servers ensuring that both inbound and outbound email content is safe. Because all your email is filtered “in the cloud”, damaging spam never gets near your internal servers or your employees. iPrism Email Filter can be deployed quickly and easily and managed through a central console where you govern policies and user updates. When you add the optional iPrism Message Archive, you have the ability to store all your corporate email off-site, in an unalterable state in our redundant data centers. This makes your email searchable and easily retrievable when it’s needed to meet regulatory requirements or help enforce your Acceptable Use and Security Policies.
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