MessageLabs Releases ReportMessageLabs Releases Report

LONDON -- MessageLabs, a leading provider of integrated messaging and web security services to businesses worldwide, today announced the findings of its MessageLabs Intelligence Report for February 2007. In this report, MessageLabs highlights the increase in spam, virus and botnet activity, as well as an influx of new policies designed to combat ongoing threats.

For the fifth consecutive month, spam levels continued to rise with February levels reaching 77.8 percent of all emails. The increase has been linked to the predictable focus on Valentine’s Day related messages. February also saw a hike in seasonal hijacking threats, including the “For My Valentine” malware with attachments such as “Greetings Card.exe”. Additionally, MessageLabs saw a rise in newly created malware with 43.9 percent of all malware intercepted in February being of a new variety, indicating new efforts from malware authors and perhaps new malware distributors entering the market.

With the threat landscape continuing to increase in sophistication and aggressiveness, the introduction of new legislation in several geographies is a welcome arrival. Although Asia Pacific was previously seen as a significant source of spam, the introduction of ‘The Spam Control Bill’ in Singapore may help to decrease overall spam levels. The Bill poses tough penalties to those who spam via email and mobile phones, with fines of up to US $650,000. MessageLabs Ltd.