According to Kaspersky Lab data, the share of spam in email traffic decreased steadily throughout 2012 to hit a five-year low. The average for the year stood at 72.1 - 8.2 percentage points less than in 2011. Such a prolonged and substantial decrease in spam levels is unprecedented.
The main reason behind the decrease in the spam volume is the overall heightened level of anti-spam protection. Spam filters are now in place on just about every email system, even free ones. Also, many email providers have introduced mandatory DKIM signature policies (digital signatures that verify the domain from which emails are sent). Another factor behind the falling levels of spam is inexpensive advertising on legal platforms.
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With the emergence of Web 2.0, advertising opportunities on the Internet have skyrocketed: banners, context-based advertising, and ads on social networks and blogs.
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The report also revealed that the largest number of email antivirus detections in 2012 was recorded in the US. Germany led for several months over the year, but ended up in the second place at the close of the year. Third place went to the UK. Russia, which was the number one target in 2011, fell to ninth place in 2012.
Darya Gudkova, Head of Content Analysis & Research Kaspersky Lab, said, “In 2012, the percentage of spam decreased over the course of the year, and during the final three months of 2012 the figure remained below 70%. This drop is the result of a gradual departure of advertisers from spam to other, more convenient and legal means of promoting goods and services. However, that doesn’t mean spam is headed the way of the dodo anytime soon: malicious spam, fraud, and advertising of illegal goods cannot simply or easily migrate to legal platforms, due to their own inherently criminal nature. We expect that the decline in spam volumes in 2013 will be negligible at best.”
