Spam has reached record levels, with up to 96%-plus
messages now being spam.
SoftScan, the e-mail security and management provider, said that
it blocked 90.3% of e-mail as spam during February, the highest it
has ever recorded.
After sudden dips in spam levels at the beginning of the year,
February showed that spammers were still a force to be reckoned
with, said SoftScan.
The highest levels were seen at weekends when there is less
legitimate e-mail, and on one Sunday spam reached a record breaking
96.22%. November 2006 was the last time that spam levels were as
high, when they reached 89.73%, SoftScan said.
“Even on a good day when spam levels are comparatively low, the
trend overall is continually creeping upwards, which is not good
news for e-mail users,” said Phil Watts, managing director of
SoftScan UK.
“Without harsher sentencing and greater fines, there is little
incentive for the majority of spammers to cease, said Watts.
Virus levels remained steady, said SoftScan, accounting for just
0.56% of total email scanned.
Related article:
SMS spammer fined over £100,000
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