12 February 2009 | Author: Yasmin Sulaiman
Whether you're planning to spend this Saturday - Valentine's Day - in a fancy restaurant with your loved one or watching Dirty Dancing/Die Hard by yourself with a tub of ice cream, it's likely that at some point, you'll make a Google search or check your email account. But if you do happen to receive a Valentine's Day e-card or spot a love-themed sponsored ad that catches your eye, don't get sucked in. According to computer security experts, this lovely day of hearts and kisses means just one thing to malicious botnets: a prime spam opportunity.
According to industry news site Internet News, sources in the security industry predict that spam levels this Valentine's Day will be 50 per cent higher than those seen last year, as spammers try to make up for the closure of unethical hosting company McColo in November. Symantec claims that terms likely to be targeted range from standard variables like "Valentine's Day" and "Love" to more risqué and erotic phrases.
What's more, McAfee Advert Labs warns internet users to beware of emails with subject titles like: "Deeply in Love With You, "I Love Being in Love With You" and "I Knew I Loved You". So if your real life partner is prone to using - or responding to - such phrases, it might be best to warn them now.
McAfee also reveals that many Valentine's Day spam messages will include URLs that carry the Waledac Trojan, similar to the Nuwar/Storm Trojan. Anyone that clicks on these links will download a Trojan onto their computer, which may add it to a spam-relaying bot network - an outcome that could putyour personal data in danger.
Another leading security firm, MessageLabs, claims that one in fifteen spam emails sent on Valentine's Day come from the Cutwail botnet, mostly consisting of simple messages containing URLs that redirect to a Chinese website purporting to specialise in male bodily enhancement.
Paul Wood, a security analyst at MessageLabs, told IT Pro: "Dedicating approximately 90 per cent of its output to Valentine-related spam, Cutwail is generating an estimated seven billion spam emails each day. This is possibly the largest volume of Valentine's Day spam ever seen."
So you know what to do, folks: if that "secret Valentine's admirer" comes a-knocking on your Inbox this weekend, give them the swift boot. After all, it's better to be without love than bereft of a computer you can trust - right?
It's official: Valentine's Day is spam
Whether you're planning to spend this Saturday - Valentine's Day - in a fancy restaurant with your loved one or watching Dirty Dancing/Die Hard by yourself with a tub of ice cream, it's likely that at some point, you'll make a Google search or check your email account. But if you do happen to receive a Valentine's Day e-card or spot a love-themed sponsored ad that catches your eye, don't get sucked in. According to computer security experts, this lovely day of hearts and kisses means just one thing to malicious botnets: a prime spam opportunity. According to industry news site Internet News, sources in the security industry predict that spam levels this Valentine's Day will be 50 per cent higher than those seen last year, as spammers try to make up for the closure of unethical hosting company McColo in November. Symantec claims that terms likely to be targeted range from standard variables like "Valentine's Day" and "Love" to more risqué and erotic phrases.
What's more, McAfee Advert Labs warns internet users to beware of emails with subject titles like: "Deeply in Love With You, "I Love Being in Love With You" and "I Knew I Loved You". So if your real life partner is prone to using - or responding to - such phrases, it might be best to warn them now.
McAfee also reveals that many Valentine's Day spam messages will include URLs that carry the Waledac Trojan, similar to the Nuwar/Storm Trojan. Anyone that clicks on these links will download a Trojan onto their computer, which may add it to a spam-relaying bot network - an outcome that could putyour personal data in danger.
Another leading security firm, MessageLabs, claims that one in fifteen spam emails sent on Valentine's Day come from the Cutwail botnet, mostly consisting of simple messages containing URLs that redirect to a Chinese website purporting to specialise in male bodily enhancement.
Paul Wood, a security analyst at MessageLabs, told IT Pro: "Dedicating approximately 90 per cent of its output to Valentine-related spam, Cutwail is generating an estimated seven billion spam emails each day. This is possibly the largest volume of Valentine's Day spam ever seen."
So you know what to do, folks: if that "secret Valentine's admirer" comes a-knocking on your Inbox this weekend, give them the swift boot. After all, it's better to be without love than bereft of a computer you can trust - right?
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