Vircom upgrade catches image spam

Anti-spam vendor Vircom announced Thursday an upgrade to its core technology with new features to catch spam embedded in an image that is included in an e-mail message, according to company officials.

Modus 4.35 is the upgraded anti-spam engine that is the foundation of Vircom’s mail server and gateway security software and appliance. According to the company, this version catches 98% of image spam, or unwanted commercial messages embedded in an image that cannot be detected by most spam filters able to see only the image.

Vircom has been seeing this kind of spam for about a year, says executive vice president Richard Lachance, with a significant spike in the past three to six months. Since most spam filters cannot detect image spam, spammers are using this technique to send out messages from zombie PCs – those infected by malware and unwittingly turned into spam servers that churn out millions of unwanted e-mail messages – so that their messages get as much exposure as possible, he explains.

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Anti-spam vendor Vircom announced Thursday an upgrade to its core technology with new features to catch spam embedded in an image that is included in an e-mail message, according to company officials.

Modus 4.35 is the upgraded anti-spam engine that is the foundation of Vircom’s mail server and gateway security software and appliance. According to the company, this version catches 98% of image spam, or unwanted commercial messages embedded in an image that cannot be detected by most spam filters able to see only the image.

Vircom has been seeing this kind of spam for about a year, says executive vice president Richard Lachance, with a significant spike in the past three to six months. Since most spam filters cannot detect image spam, spammers are using this technique to send out messages from zombie PCs – those infected by malware and unwittingly turned into spam servers that churn out millions of unwanted e-mail messages – so that their messages get as much exposure as possible, he explains.

Through statistical analysis, Modus 4.35 is able to detect patterns in the text that is embedded in an image, Lachance says, and determine whether or not an unwanted message is hidden inside.

In addition to catching spam, Modus offers protection from phishing attacks, viruses, spyware, and other e-mail threats, while also enforcing compliance in e-mail communications, officials say.

Pricing for ModusGate gateway software with two integrated anti-virus products starts at $13,000 for 1,000 users for the first year, $6,500 each year after. The ModusGate appliance with two anti-virus products starts at $22,400 for 1,000 users for the first year, $9,500 each year after.