Spam Type Descriptions
Gathering data about spam involves capturing and analyzing a great deal of it. Part of this analysis by M86 Security Labs involves categorizing spam by type. This allows Security Labs to monitor fluctuations in the types of spam, providing hints about the spammer's behavior and insights into emerging techniques designed to penetrate anti-spam technologies.
The Security Labs Team broadly categorizes spam into the following types:
SCAMS
Lotteries ("you have won $10,000!") and get rich quick schemes such as the 419 Nigerian fraud spam. These are where a fictitious military or political leader in a random African nation has died and left a lot of money but for some reason the scam authors need your bank account to get the money out of the country. These "419" scams are so named after a section of the Nigerian criminal code. Scam spam typically uses lengthy explanations that attempt to confuse recipients and offers a financial opportunity that appears to be too good to be true – and always is.
ADULT
This covers obvious pornographic content and offers for "free" memberships to adult web sites. Also offers for online dating services and specials on running personal ads.
FINANCIAL
Spam related to offers for mortgages, refinancing, credit, loans, "consolidate your loans" and real estate.
STOCK
Emails that advertise stocks or pretend to offer insider knowledge on company stocks. These are the "pump and dump" schemes where spammers make up fantastic news about real companies in the hope that you buy the company's stock and inflate the price. The spammers then sell their own stock in the company as the price is artificially inflated. The stock price typically falls heavily shortly afterwards, leaving unsuspecting investors out-of-pocket.
PHARMACEUTICALS
Spam advertising all manner of drugs, pills, potions and herbal remedies. This spam often promises better skin, weight loss, sexual enhancement, lengthening, invigoration, energy, etc. Examples include Viagra and weight-loss remedies.
PHISHING
This is another type of fraudulent spam, similar to the SCAM type. However, phishing spam is more targeted at your authentication credentials. Phishing attempts a sophisticated impersonation of a company that you legitimately do business with. Banks, eBay and PayPal are the most popular targets. This kind of spam has been perpetuated by organized criminals because of the potential or substantial financial gain. Essentially, phishing spam looks like legitimate email that asks you to confirm your login security details. You link to what you think is the bank's web site and use your login name and password. However, the link to the bank web site that the phishing email provides, in fact points to a false web site that looks authentic but is controlled by the phishers. As a result, the criminals gain access to your bank account and steal your money.
DIPLOMAS
Advertising for tertiary qualifications like University diplomas and degrees. Also covers other training courses, like learning to become a real estate agent.
REPLICAS
Advertising for a range of cheap replica products, such as watches, bags, and phones.
SOFTWARE
Spam advertising cheap software, often promoting "OEM Software" deals and suchlike.
MALWARE
Spam with malicious attachments, or blended threat emails with links leading to websites hosting malicious code.
GAMBLING
Spam promoting online casino or poker sites, which typically offer generous joining bonuses.
DATING
These messages are usually various forms of scam where 'ladies' are attempting to strike up a relationship and later extract money for 'travel' expenses. Other dating scams point to bogus online dating sites which entice users to pay exorbitant fees to use their services.
OTHER
Other spam that is not easily classified into the other categories.
Follow us on
- © 2012 M86 Security. All Rights Reserved.
- Terms
- Privacy
- Feedback
- Contact Us