Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, are continuing to see more Valentine-related spam as the traditional romantic celebration of 14 February approaches.
One of the latest spam campaigns seen by Sophos urges internet users to purchase drugs to improve their sexual performance to ensure a successful evening of romance.
"A Sophos poll* has revealed that 1 in 20 people are prepared to admit they have been seduced into purchasing goods sold via spam, but the true number is likely to present a worse picture," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Nobody loves spam, but so long as some computer users keep buying little blue pills over the net the longer the spam problem will be filling everybody's inbox."
Spammers are trying to sell Viagra in the run-up to Valentine's Day.
"Some may titter at the spammers' antics, but unwanted email is a serious problem. It gets in the way of legitimate communications and clogs up companies' email gateways," continued Cluley. "Furthermore, anyone in need to medical assistance should go to a proper doctor rather than buying from internet quacks."
In January Sophos published its annual Security Threat Report, which detailed the latest trends in spam and the techniques used by spammers to commit identity theft and swindle money out of internet users.
Sophos recommends that companies protect themselves with a consolidated IT security solution to protect against the threats of spam, spyware and malware.
* Source: Sophos online poll, 542 respondents, February 2007.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.