A beast that nobody can control

Analysts say it\'s a problem that cannot be wished away. E-Brief News reports that the problem is being compounded by the fact that spam messages are becoming both larger and more plentiful. The average spam e-mail has increased to 4.5 times the size it was a year ago, as a result of large attachments such as images and documents. The senders of unwanted e-mail advertisements find new ways to circumvent filtering systems. AustralianIT reports that a study released by the security firm Postini found that unwanted messages now account for 91% of all e-mail, and over the past 12 months the daily volume of spam rose by 120%. A separate report by California-based IronPort Systems concluded that worldwide spam volumes increased from 31bn messages daily in October 2005 to 61bn messages per day in October 2006. Security experts cite two key reasons for the surge, which has come after a brief respite in which spam appeared to be stabilising. First, spammers are using massive networks of hijacked computers to send the e-mails. Secondly, spammers are using more sophisticated techniques to get around filters, notably the use of \'image spam\'. Much of that flood is made up of a new breed of junk e-mail called image spam, in which the words of the advertisement are part of a picture, often fooling traditional spam detectors that look for telltale phrases. Image spam increased fourfold from last year and now represents 25 to 45% of all junk e-mail, depending on the day. The Financial Express reports that anti-spam companies fought the scourge successfully, for a time, with a blend of three filtering strategies. Their software scanned each e-mail and looked at whom the message was coming from, what words it contained and which Web sites it linked to. Spammers foiled the first strategy – analysing the reputation of the sender – by conscripting vast networks of computers belonging to users who unknowingly downloaded viruses and other rogue programs. The infected computers begin sending out spam without the knowledge of their owners. Silicon.com reports that this increase in spam can add up to storage headaches for businesses. Bob Tarzey, service director from Quocirca, said despite the cost of storage and the hassle of managing so many e-mails, companies should store every message to be on the safe side and keep ahead of any legal issues or new regulations which may arise. Full AustralianIT report Full Financial Express report Full Silicon.com report

Radio station TalkSPORT has been censured by the UK\'s advertising watchdog for placing advertising on football blogs that pretended to be normal blog postings, an activity known as comment spam. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that a member of TalkSPORT staff had sent a post on to a number of football related message boards that purported to be a normal communication from a fan. OutLaw.com reports that the tactic, which is akin to spamming, runs the risk of breaking the CAP Code, the rulebook followed by the ASA. It states that adverts must clearly be labelled as such. TalkSPORT said that a member of its staff had made the posting, but that it was not the policy of the station to act in this way and that the member of staff had acted independently of the station. The complaint against the station was upheld. Full OutLaw.com report