Spam not the problem it once was

Email spam is still an everyday occurrence, but not the nuisance it once was, according to Avira.

Nearly half of all end-users are satisfied with the anti-spam filters on their PCs and laptops, plus many others rely upon their ISPs to filter messages. The vast majority of users receive fewer than 10 spam emails per day.

Do you use anti-spam on your PC or laptop?

• 45% – Yes, and I am satisfied.
• 10% – Yes, but I am dissatisfied.
• 26% – No, but I would if there was a good product.
• 19% – No, I am using a solution that is part of my Internet provider’s service.

2,329 respondents with a margin of error of +/- 2.03 percent.

How much spam do you receive on a daily basis?

• 72% – 10 email messages.
• 18% – 25 email messages.
• 4% – 100 email messages.
• 6% – Over 100 email messages.

2,236 respondents with a margin of error of +/- 2.07 percent.

“The spam landscape has clearly changed in the last two years with the take down of a couple of major botnets.,” said Sorin Mustaca, data security expert at Avira. “Considering the fact that almost all email providers have a form of spam filtering installed on their servers, end-users receive only what the anti-spam solutions on the servers don’t catch. What really surprised me was that 45% of the users answered that they have an anti-spam solution on their computers and that they are satisfied with it. Overall, there is work to be done within the security industry to get rid of 100% of all spam emails, but progress is being made.”

The larger security challenges today include fighting web-based Trojans and spyware that harvest credit card numbers and personal identity information. “But I still don’t recommend anyone clicking open spam emails, as many of them are linked to malicious websites. It’s always best to stay safe from unknown links in emails,” said Mustaca.”