Spam-a-bot: The Gift That Keeps On Giving: Page 3 of 3

Cisco' s 4Q10 Global Threat Report revealed that Web malware increased by 139 percent in 2010 compared with the previous year. The biggest risk was posed to companies in the pharmaceutical and chemicals sector and in the energy and oil sector, followed by the agriculture and mining sector and the education sector. The sectors with the lowest risks include professional services and aviation and automotive.

The company attributes the drop in spam volumes to several key events, including the takedowns of botnet segments related to Lethic, Waledac, Mariposa and Zeus in the first quarter, followed by a takedown of a branch of the Pushdo botnet in August 2010. Fourth quarter takedowns included segments of the Bredolab and Koobface botnets. SpamIt.org was also shut down.

All in all, there is no silver bullet, notes Yaneza. "Enterprises should exercise due diligence in protecting their intellectual property by using layered security with the latest tools available. The layers should include usage polices and user education as part of a preventive regimen, including the use of collaborative and reputation technologies that stop the threat even before the gateway. Likewise, [companies should invest] in physical security that prevents threats coming from within inside one's organization in the form of mobile gadgets and other consumer devices that in today's environment serve dual-purpose needs."

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