More Than 70% of Email Is Spam

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By Kurt Wagner2013-08-10 00:00:15 UTC

If you've noticed more spam in your email inbox lately, you aren't alone.

A recent study by IT Security company Kaspersky Lab found that more than 70% of email sent in Q2 was actually spam, an increase of more than 4% over Q1 totals. This ratio may seem high, but it's not unheard of; spam totals were actually higher in Q2 last year, about 74% of all emails sent. The study did not define what it considers to be spam, but the United States Department of Justice classifies spam as "unsolicited commercial email."

An increase in spam was not the study's only interesting finding. Malicious email attachments slightly declined, but the they are becoming increasingly harder to spot.

Malicious attachments were found in 2.3% of all emails last quarter, and while that number is slightly lower than it was in Q1, the tactics used by senders to encourage unsuspecting recipients to open malicious links seem to be getting more creative.

Many emails with malicious attachments were sent to corporate email addresses, and often look like delivery failure notifications or auto-replies. The more traditional message asking recipients for help or to send money is less common, but it's being replaced with messages that appear more typical of an office environment, and are therefore harder to detect.

One email trend once again on the rise: malicious eCards. Dangerous emails posing as eCards used to be popular around the holidays but then declined in usage, Kaspersky Lab reported. But that threat appears to be back, and many of the cards are meant to look as if they've been sent by Hallmark.

One possible explanation for their return is that malicious attachments make spammers the most money, meaning tactics need to be switched up regularly to keep people clicking. "An infected computer is worth considerably more than a [traditional spam click]," according to the report.

Do you feel your email inbox is safe? Tell us why or why not in the comments below.

Image: James Cridland/Flickr

Topics: Business, ecards, email, Kaspersky lab, Marketing, phishing, spam