The State Of Spam: What To Expect In 2009

[Peaches]

The State of Spam: What to Expect in 2009

A look at the scourge of spam in 2008 and some predictions for spam in 2009.

R Raphael, PC World

Jpam, oh spam -- can we ever get rid of you? 2008 saw a promising blow to the endless sea of junk mail, but the relief didn't last for long. Now, spam experts say new forms of annoyances are on the way for the new year.

"Some battles have been won in 2008, but the war is far from over," says Martin Thornberg, co-founder of SPAMfighter, a software development and spam research company.

So far, junk mail has managed to infiltrate only about 22 percent of its potential Internet territory, Thornberg says. That means more methods -- and, yes, more headaches -- are bound to be on the horizon.

The Spam Forecast

They may not have a doppler radar, but the SPAMfighter team has a full forecast -- and it doesn't look pretty. Here's what's topping the junk mail outlook for 2009:

• More social network spam. Spammers started bringing their ways to networks in increasing numbers throughout '08, and that trend is expected to climb quickly in the coming months.

Story: http://www.pcworld.com/article/156231/the_...ct_in_2009.html