SurfControl Global Threat Experts Track Rapid Increase in Phishing Attacks1 June 2006
SurfControl (LSE: SRF), the world leaderin Internet protection, has released its latest findings on email threatsand vulnerability. Using SurfControl's Adaptive Threat Intelligence (ATI)Service, SurfControl's Global Threat Experts have compiled threat trenddata through the first quarter of 2006.
ATI found a rapid increase in phishing attacks in the last several weeks,growing to 4.2% of total spam volume by the end of April 2006. This growthfollows quarterly trend data from previous years where phishing attackscontinued to increase strongly through June. An exceptionally busy time forfinancial institutions, this trend raises the possibility that roughly onein nine spam emails will be aimed at compromising financial privacy.
Threat experts also found a significant increase in malicious URLs designedto trick users into installing destructive files. Spam Web linksincreasingly point to compromised legitimate Web sites hosting maliciousprograms and Trojans. Also on the rise is spam employing sophisticateddrive-by techniques that instantly infect computers without userinteraction.
Pharmaceutical products typically generate the greatest profit margin forspammers and continue to attract a broad group of Internet users. ATI Trenddata shows that pharmaceutical spam continued to dominate total spam volumeduring the first quarter of 2006 with 50% of all spam devoted to drugspromoting sexual performance.
Threat experts note an increase in remote foreign domain extensions such as.mu, .cx and .tl that lure users into clicking on spoofed URLs by usingunfamiliar domain extensions.
SurfControl's Threat Analysis and Research department is uniquelypositioned to provide protection through its Adaptive Threat Intelligenceservice that spans the globe. Around-the-clock exchange of information onnew threats allows SurfControl's Threat Experts to be at the forefront ofInternet protection. SurfControl adds any new signatures to all threeproducts in the SurfControl Enterprise Protection Suite.
About SurfControl
SurfControl plc is the leading provider of enterprise threat protectionthat shields organizations from known and emerging Internet dangers throughLayered Threat Protection(SM). The Company has redefined traditional"filtering" into a unified set of Web, e-mail and messaging securitysolutions that continuously filter inbound and outbound Internet traffic toeliminate spam, spyware, phishing and Web and e-mail abuse. SurfControlprovides Adaptive Threat Intelligence(SM) from its Global ThreatExperts(SM) to respond quickly with automatic, proactive security updatesto protect customers. Customers avoid significant business downtime thatimpacts productivity and the bottom line while limiting legal liability andenforcing regulatory compliance and confidentiality. SurfControl has morethan 20,000 customers worldwide, and employs more than 500 people inoffices across the United States, Europe and Asia/Pacific. For furtherinformation and news on SurfControl, please visithttp://www.surfcontrol.com/.
Contact:Paige PaceSurfControl831-440-2631Email Contact
SOURCE: SurfControl
Source: marketwire
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