I find this surprising but also encouraging and exciting.
Score one for the good guys. Last week a major Web hosting service that Internet security experts say hosted organizations responsible for most of the world’s spam was taken offline–and the volume of spam sent worldwide immediately plummeted by as much as 75 percent.
In addition to spam, U.S.-based McColo Corp., which has been operating out of a sleek office tower in San Jose, Calif., also hosted the activities of organizations involved in nefarious activities including online child pornography, counterfeit pharmaceuticals and stolen banking and credit card data.
Immediately after McColo’s two Internet providers disconnected the firm, email security firm IronPort reported a 66-percent decline in global spam levels and Spamcop reported a similar decline of around 75 percent. (You can read about it in this Nov. 12 article appearing in the Washington Post. Note that a free account sign-up is required to view the content.)
This isn’t the first time a major ISP for spammers has been shut down. And it probably won’t be the last time spammers find a new way to get on the Internet. Spam rates will likely rise again.
In another article, this one appearing in eWeek, Internet security firm MX Logic notes that, although spam levels have remained relatively flat and even declined in 2008 compared to previous years, spam levels are expected to grow significantly during the final two months of the year. Even with the spam network shutdowns, MX Logic researchers say the spam trade remains way too lucrative to remain shuttered through the holidays. Let’s enjoy the respite from spam while we can.
