Google sees new spam players on the horizon

Spam levels have climbed six per cent since last year

Security researchers at Google have warned of the imminent emergence of a new crop of spam providers.

The company said in its latest quarterly spam report that spam levels had climbed six per cent since last year, and 53 per cent since the first quarter of 2009.

Among the trends noticed by researchers was a jump in image spam. The technique uses an embedded image file to display the spam message in an effort to avoid traditional spam filters that search through text.

The technique was thought to have fallen out of favour with spammers, but has shown a resurgence recently.

Other trends were the increased use of malware attachments, and Google noted a recent spike in malware-laden attacks related to botnets.

The recent shutdown of hosting firm 3FN caused spam levels to drop by some 30 per cent, but Google warned that levels will almost certainly return to normal as new spam sources step in to fill the void.

"Over the coming months, we anticipate watching new players once again drive spam levels back up," wrote Google messaging and security team member Amanda Kleha in a blog post.

"Since 4 June, spammers have already made up a significant amount of ground, climbing 14 per cent from the initial drop."

Researchers at MessageLabs suggested earlier this week that botnet activity was responsible for 83 per cent of the global spam load.