Back in November, when the infamous McColo network was shut down, Google registered an unprecedented 70% drop in spam. And while spam levels are not yet at the same levels they reached before McColo went dark, they are rising at a level that suggests spammers are well on their way to recovering from the loss.
The Official Google Enterprise Blog details the most recent spam research findings of its Google Message Security data centers (formerly known as Postini). The upshot? Spam levels are nowhere near as bad as they were in April 2008, when the average number of spams blocked per user spiked to a startling 194. Still, spams are on the rise, with Google registering a 156% increase since McColo’s takedown in November 2008.
So it seems that for every McColo taken down, there are quite a few spam networks rising up and ready to take their place. The anti-spam work left to do is daunting, and Google’s pessimism reflects that reality:
Looking ahead to the rest of 2009, we expect viruses sent via email and in blended attacks (email and web) to continue to be a serious threat. During the second half of 2008, virus volume increased six-fold from the first half of the year.
But the best defense is a good offense. Google says it employs a variety of spam detection and blocking tools aimed at identifying spam quickly and eliminating it efficiently. For more, check out its Apps Security page.
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