Volume of Spam Decreased in 2012 Because of Anti-Spam Protection, Kaspersky Says

In 2012, the volume of spam decreased by 8.2% compared to 2011. A study released by Kaspersky shows that over the course of 2012, the percentage of spam in email traffic constantly decreased, the average being at around 72%.

According to the security firm, this decrease – which represents the lowest volume recorded in the past 5 years – is caused by the heightened level of anti-spam protection.

First of all, most email providers have implemented more effective spam filters. Secondly, many companies have implemented mandatory Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) signature policies.

Back in October 2012, a mathematician discovered that several major companies, including Google, Yahoo, Amazon and eBay, were using 512-bit keys, despite the standard which required keys that were at least 1024 bits in length.

Shortly after the news broke out, many organizations rushed to replace their outdated signature encryption methods. This made fakes impossible and led to a considerable decrease in the number of spam emails.

On the other hand, Kaspersky has found that spammers have started turning to legal Internet ads as an alternative to spam.

The company has calculated that legal advertising has become more effective for a business than spam campaigns.

In addition, coupon services also offer a good alternative to classic spam. In fact, coupon services have become so popular over the past period that they have even attracted the attention of cybercriminals.

The malicious actors have started copying the emails of major coupon services such as Groupon. They’re using these notifications to advertise their own products and services, and to trick users into visiting malware-serving websites.

The complete Kaspersky report called “Spam Evolution 2012” is available on the company’s Securelist site.