Have You Got Anything Without Spam?

Sounds like a line from the 'Monty Python' SPAM sketch], doesn't it? In fact it is.

Why am I using this quote from that infamous sketch? Well, because it is almost getting to the point with e-mails [over 90% of e-mails that arrive at my personal mail server are spam] and the many file formats that end up as e-mail attachments containing spam, where it would be quicker to ask "Have You Got Anything Without Spam?" Let me explain:

Back in September 2006 I discussed the latest techniques used by the spammers [on my old blogging host], these included, image, ASCII, HTML and Word document spam. I suggested then that the spammers would find other file formats to use to contain their 'crud'. Lo and behold, they have done just that.

Over the last few weeks we've seen another file format used that many people 'trust', this being the oh so popular 'PDF' (Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format).

Here's a screen shot of what we saw in a typical image spam, until recently, the spammers have simply placed their spammy image into a 'PDF' file to try and defeat anti-spam defenses. Guess what? It worked!



However, as what happened when we first saw the spammers using Microsoft Word document files to place their spammy text in, we are now seeing the same thing happening with the new 'PDF' spam, as you can see from the complex example below:



Not all the new 'PDF' spam is as complex a the example above, or designed to fool anti-spam tools which use OCR techniques to read text in image files, Word documents or PDF files, as the final example below clearly shows:



So, how much spam is now being sent in 'PDF' attachments via e-mail? Well to put it simply; lots! The screen shot below shows just part of one of my e-mail folders 'packed-to-the-gills' with only 'PDF' based spam.



"What's next?" I hear you ask. Well, as mentioned back in September 2006:

"Unfortunately, we are seeing a similar 'arms-race' in the spam and anti-spam arena that we have been living with in the malware and anti-malware arena for the last two decades. You can bet that we will see other file formats being used by spammers, and we may also see them starting to use some of these file formats to not only get their spam through our defenses, but also, I fear, to use them to drop malware/spyware onto unsuspecting users systems. We may also see the spammers start to use exploit code to infiltrate systems and turn them into spam relays or to install keyloggers to steal financial or other personal or commercial data."

Sometimes, just sometimes, I really hate being right!

Luckily the 'Bad Guys and Girls' behind most of the spamming activity haven't yet decided to place malicious content, attachments or links in these 'PDF' or Word document spam, however, I suspect that this will happen sooner or later, so be very careful if you plan to open such spam, as you might get more than you bargained for....

Now, how does the chorus the 'Vikings' sing go? Oh yes, I know:

"Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam. Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Spam spam spam spam!"

All together now: "I don't like spam!"

I would be interested in just how much spam you, dear reader[s]*, are receiving at personal e-mail [not work] addresses that you have. Use the comment option to leave your findings/thoughts, as that is what it is there for.


* Hopefully there is more than just one reader of this blog, two perhaps? ;-)