Legions of Unprotected PCs Exacerbate Spam Problem
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by Matt Hyatt

Lawrenceville, GA – As email security measures have grown more sophisticated, spammers have leveraged the power of large bands of tainted PCs to deliver their messages.  Over the last two months, many companies have reported a major spike in spam attacks from an increasing number of sources, coupled with a barrage of email rejection or bounce notices.  Due to the nature of these attacks, security analysts believe the increased use of “botnets” is responsible.

What are botnets?  Unlike traditional spam attacks, which often originate from a single server, many spammers are now utilizing large networks of vulnerable, unsuspecting PCs – or bots – to do their dirty work for them.  These networks are referred to as botnets.

Like a virus, botnets spread from computer to computer, continually growing their network and using infected computers to deliver messages for them.  Many botnets are comprised of thousands or possibly even millions of computers, all sending out mail on behalf of covert spammers.  Since the spam is relentlessly generated from seemingly unrelated computers with different “From” addresses, it is very difficult to block.

The recent surge in spam volume, along with the number of apparent sources, points to botnets as the culprits.  As more spammers adopt the botnet approach, we can all expect this problem to get worse before it gets better.

Business managers are wise to keep a close eye on this issue, especially if their email and virus protection are inadequate or non-existent.  A substantial increase in the volume of spam can have a dramatic impact on employee productivity and a company’s bottom line. To estimate the costs associated with spam, check out Rocket IT’s online Email Threat Management Calculator at http://www.rocketit.com/spam.

If a computer is receiving numerous rejection notices for messages the user never sent, there is a chance it has become an unwilling participant in a botnet.  Because the spam emails are originating from that user’s email address, all the bounce or rejection notices are being sent back to the user.

Infected computers should be addressed immediately. As the source of spam messages, the computer’s network may be added to blacklists and spam filters, which could affect the delivery of legitimate company email.  In addition, the bot code could spread to other computers, including those belonging to clients and vendors, thereby exposing them to infection by the botnet.  For these reasons, users noticing a recent increase in spam volume or email rejection notices should contact their network administrators for assistance.

Founded in 1995, Rocket IT provides cost-effective, customized IT outsourcing solutions to small and mid-sized organizations in metro Atlanta and beyond.  Drawing on broad industry expertise and its portfolio of interrelated managed services, eBusiness, communications, and computer solutions, Rocket IT has a long history of building sustainable technology solutions that help companies thrive. Rocket IT maintains strategic partnerships with Microsoft, SonicWALL, Cisco, Trend Micro, Symantec and other leading technology companies.

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