So, where is all the spam coming from?

Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses, spyware and spam, has published its latest report on the top twelve spam relaying countries over the first quarter of 2006.

Experts at SophosLabs scanned all spam messages received in the company's global network of spam traps, and have revealed that while the United States has continued to make good progress in its efforts to reduce spam-relaying statistics, there is still more spam sent from US computers than any other nation. However as a continent, North America is now close to being overtaken by Europe, with both lying behind Asia in terms of spam relayed.

The top twelve spam relaying countries for January to March 2006 are as follows:

"Two years ago, the US accounted for over half of all spam sent to the world - now it is less than a quarter, evidence which confirms that more Americans are waking up to the need to protect their home computers from malicious hackers," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "More and more viruses, worms and Trojan horses are being designed to take over innocent users' computers with the intention of stealing information and sending out junk email campaigns."

Helped by legislation such as CAN-SPAM and greater information sharing by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), the US has led the way in imposing severe penalties and fines for its most prolific spammers.

The reduction in US-relayed spam has had a significant impact on the rest of the chart, with China now closer than ever to the top. Poland, Spain and Germany all saw their spam-relaying percentages rise between Q4 2005, and Q1 2006, while the UK, which was absent altogether from the Q4 2005 dirty dozen, has now re-entered the table in tenth position. These changes have helped Europe challenge North America for second position in the top spam-relaying continents.

The breakdown of spam relaying by continent for January to March 2006 is as follows:

"Europe is in danger of overtaking North America as the second worst spam-relaying part of the world. This continental shift is inevitable because as North America's percentage continues to fall, the rest of the world is witnessing a rise," explained Cluley. "It's imperative that computer users worldwide put better defences in place to prevent their computers from being converted into spam-spewing zombies."

Sophos recommends that computer users ensure they keep their anti-virus software up-to date, as well as using a properly configured firewall and installing the latest operating system security patches. Businesses must also look to implement a best practice policy regarding email account usage.

Posted April 27, 2006