Sophos Reveals Latest 'Dirty Dozen' Spam Relaying Countries

Sophos has published its latest report on the top 12 spam-relaying countries during the second quarter of 2007.Experts at SophosLabs scanned all spam messages received in the company's global network of spam traps and have revealed that the U.S. continues to relay more spam than any other nation, accounting for 19.6 percent- - a decrease of just 0.2 percent from the previous quarter. However, Europe now has six entries in the dirty dozen, which when combined, account for even more spam-relaying than the U.S.

Sophos notes that the number of compromised PCs continues to increase steadily in Europe. An image showing the continent's zombie computers that relayed spam during a 30-minute period is available at: http://www.sophos.com/news/2007/07/dirtydozjul07.html

The overall global volume of spam rose by around nine percent during Q2 2007, when compared to the same period in 2006.

The top 12 spam-relaying countries are:

April to June 2007

1. United States 19.6%
2. China (including Hong Kong) 8.4%
3. South Korea 6.5%
4. Poland 4.8%
5. Germany 4.2%
6. Brazil 4.1%
7. France 3.3%
8. Russia 3.1%
9. Turkey 2.9%
10. United Kingdom 2.8%
=10. Italy 2.8%
12. India 2.5%
Other 35.0%

"While the amount of spam relayed in the U.S. remains high, we're seeing a proportionate rise in other countries," said Ron O'Brien, senior security analyst at Boston-based Sophos. "Consumer awareness plays an important role in combating these attacks, as does business sensibilities. It's only through a concerted effort between internet service providers and computer users worldwide that we'll actually be able to positively reduce the amount of spam in cyberspace."

According to Sophos, the growing number of PCs across the U.S. and Europe, combined with an increase in the amount of internet service providers offering cheap internet access -- not all of which have taken adequate steps to prevent spam-relaying activity -- are responsible for the strong Euro-American presence in the dirty dozen.

While there have been minor shifts in individual nations' chart positions, the biggest single change occurs in the 'other' section, which has increased from 30.6 percent in Q1 2007 to 35.0 percent in Q2. This suggests that on an individual level, more nations are now responsible for contributing to the problem of spam-relaying.

Additionally, having disappeared from the chart in Q1, the United Kingdom has re-entered the dirty dozen in 10th place, responsible for relaying 2.8 percent of the world's spam.

Span Relayed by Continent
Despite the strong presence of the U.S. and European nations in the dirty dozen, the sheer number of Asian nations relaying smaller amounts of spam meant that Asia proved to be the biggest spam-relaying continent during Q2 2007. While Europe, which topped the chart in Q1 2007, has reduced its percentage by 6.6 percent and fallen to second place, Asia, North America, South America and Africa have all seen rises in spam-relaying activity. Sophos experts predict further leveling of these statistics over the coming months, as spammers start to take advantage of the growing number of inadequately protected computers in the likes of South America and Africa.

The breakdown of spam-relaying by continent is:

April to June 2007

1. Asia 35.2%
2. Europe 28.5%
3. North America 24.2%
4. South America 9.6%
5. Africa 1.6%
Other 0.9%

Sophos recommends that computer users ensure they keep their security software up-to-date, use a properly configured firewall and install the latest operating system security patches. Businesses and other organizations must also look to implement a best practice policy regarding email account usage.

For more information on 'Best practice advice for minimizing exposure to spam', please visit: www.sophos.com/security/best-practice/.