Dramatic progress has been made in the last six months against spam sending botnets (virus infected machines, used to send spam). EarthLink has experienced a 40% reduction in overall spam volume and customer spam reports are at a 36 month low. But, spammers have not given up. We see evidence that spammers have stepped up distribution of malware in an attempt to build up the number of virus infected machines they control to send spam.
We have also seen spammers spending significant time attempting to hijack legitimate user email accounts and using those accounts to send spam. We believe an increase in compromise activity is a direct result of spam sending botnet platforms over the last six months. Spammers are attempting to use hijacked mailboxes to send more spam since their capabilities have been so dramatically curtailed. Spammers are targeting users with phishers, malware and other techniques to steal log in credentials from users.
EarthLink has implemented new tools designed to detect hijacked mailbox activity and stop spammers. Despite the effectiveness of these new tools, there are a number of things customers can do to reduce their risk. Here are some tips:
1. Protect your computer – ensure regular software (operating system, third party software, browser software and we browser plug-in updates are preformed and run antivirus checks regularly. For more, visit this blog article.
2. Use a strong password – using strong, unique passwords will go a long way in reducing risk to hijacking. For more recommendations, click here.
3. Watch out for phishers – Never give out your username, password or secret word. EarthLink will NEVER send you an email asking for this type of sensitive information. For more information on phishers, click here.
4. Tips for using shared computers – Many customers occasionally access email using a shared computer (gym, car wash, library, etc). Make sure to clear out forms, passwords, caches and cookies and make sure to sign out after you have finished your session.
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