The Spam Omelette #11

1.CLICK strikes back

The word CLICK manages once again to rank first in our weekly spam top. BitDefender Antispam researchers identified the word in multiple types of unsolicited emails, ranging from weight loss pills to product advertisement and prescription-based sexual enhancements.

The product spam stock comes up with yet another method to reach its potential customers. Since more and more users are reluctant to just opening up suspicious messages, spammers now include parts of their message straight into the Subject field. This way, the end-user will still be presented at least one tiny bit of the offering, regardless of whether they open the message or not.

The second significant spam wave abusing the word is the Canadian Pharmacy commercial offering. Even if the amount of Canadian Pharmacy spam is still way below what we received in the last two months of 2008, this type of messages is making an aggressive comeback.

2. UNSUBSCRIBE spells trouble for your inbox

Fake unsubscribe links are not news anymore, given the fact that we spotted the trend a couple months ago. However, this week's spam wave including this kind of links comes with attachments. The HTML-encoded file delivered with the message also contains a piece of code that triggers an iframe and may download malicious binaries or abuse your IP in complex AdSense schemes.

The word UNSUBSCRIBE has also been identified in a spam wave advertising sexual enhancements and other "natural" pills. Paired with a footnote referencing a trustworthy company, the Unsubscribe link gives extra legitimacy to the spam message and encourages spammers, as the victims confirm the validity of their mail address.

3.Adult NEWSLETTERS

Ranking third in our weekly top, the word NEWSLETTER has been identified in spam messages advertising adult content. Adult-related spam messages are quite widespread, but what's particularly important in this spam wave is the fact that the message is written in German.

A closer look over this week's spam map also reveals the fact that German spam is on the rise (words such as von, die, mit and und are rarely visible in our top).

4.PLEASE follow the links

Although the winter shopping spree has ended, product spam keeps pumping in users' inboxes. The word PLEASE has been identified mostly in unsolicited mail advertising knockoff watches, especially cheap Longines replicas with immediate delivery.

5. New Dish NETWORK on the menu

Ranking last in our weekly top, the word NETWORK has been identified by the BitDefender antispam researchers in a less-usual spam wave advertising cheap DISH network services.

The offering is only available for selected customers in the United States, although the advertisement is sent to users in any location. The message might look legit, but it is sent from different mail addresses and takes multiple forms in order to trick signature-based spam filters.

What's new in the spam landscape?

German spam has once again reached noticeable proportions, especially messages advertising adult materials. This type of spam is particularly dangerous, because the advertised services usually require the use of a credit card and unwary users might turn into credit card fraud victims.

The Canadian Pharmacy is back in business: although the amount of spam served via their channels is still low, it might be ramping up in the following weeks.