Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have reminded
computer users of the threat posed by image spam following a new
campaign which purports to offer a cut-price edition of Microsoft
Windows Vista.
Image spam, which uses a graphic embedded in an email rather
than regular text, has grown in popularity amongst spammers
attempting to communicate their marketing messages to internet
users. Often image spam is used for promoting stock pump-and-dump
scams or drugs to help with weight loss and sexual performance. In
the latest widespread campaign seen by Sophos experts, image
spammers are offering a bargain edition of Microsoft's new
operating system, Windows Vista.
The spam email claims that the recipient can save $319.05 by
downloading Windows Vista today.
The image spam offers a cut-price copy of
Microsoft Windows Vista.
It is unclear whether acting upon the spam would furnish the
computer user with a pirated edition of Windows Vista or simply
steal their credit card details. Whatever the ruse, Sophos experts
recommend that users do not fall into the spammer's trap.
"This widespread spam campaign carries all the hallmarks of a
typical image spam. The spammer has added random noise in the form
of speckled pixels to make the graphic slightly different on each
sending, and users are told to type in the name of the website
rather than clicking on a link," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "Approximately 30% of all spam is
now using images to try and sneak past anti-spam filters. Computer
users need to ensure that they have strong defenses in place or
they will continue to be bombarded by nuisances like this."
"The growth of image spam is one of the security stories of the
year. Internet users should make it their New Year's resolution to
make 2007 the time they got wise to internet threats," continued
Cluley. "It's worrying just how poorly educated people are about
web and email threats. System administrators and security geeks
know about informative websites like GetSafeOnline but the average
man in the street hasn't got a clue."
Sophos recommends companies protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can defend against the
threats of spam, spyware and viruses.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.