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In the Conflict Against Spam, the End User is the Most Vulnerable Deploying technologies such as anti virus protection, spam filtering, web proxies, and firewalls, corporations continuously try to protect information and data assets. Spammers endlessly make it difficult by always updating and broadening the complexity, footprints, and massive amount of junk e-mail they broadcast, so keeping pace with the recent security updates, exploits, and scams calls for continuous effort. Many junk e-mail filters are unable to keep up with the many variations of e-mail threats. A rising percentage of these are holding no destructive payload themselves (thus bypassing e-mail security that relies on malware signatures), but try to tempt users to web sites that are capable of "drive-by" infections. In other words, just visiting one of these websites can infect a user’s system. Promises of free music, cell tones, software programs, or photos provide motivators to visit these sites. This type of attack relies on human traits - curiosity, the desire to get something for nothing, even lust - to lure people to visit on the websites. This is because of an raised level of trust in security services against viruses and other malware. Spammers and other creators of malware sometimes refer to this human element as "wetware," and are increasing the social engineering aspects of their attacks to take advantage of it. To guard against such assaults, organizations are employing intelligent technology, including thumb rules, and analytic frameworks to enforce their strict anti spam policies. Well-educated end users will help eradicate the weaknesses posed by "wetware." Attacking the human element of security measures by mailing deceptive e-mails is commonly called phishing. When the attacker has some fundamental info on the victim, these attacks are very targeted and effective, these attacks are commonly called spear phishing.

Contributed by Information Security on June 15, 2008, at 9:25 PM UTC.

PLEASE VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S WEBSITE

MX Police - Managed Anti-Spam Corporate Spam Blocker Service www.mxpolice.com

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