Internet20.07.2009

Biggest spam countries

During the second quarter of 2009, the USA continued to relay more spam than any other country – the nation’s 15.6 percent contribution to global spam traffic means that more than one in six junk emails were sent through compromised computers in the country.

In contrast, Russia, a former spam super-power, continues to fall down the ranks. This is according to a report released by IT security firm, Sophos.

Russia currently resides at ninth position in the chart, relaying a mere 3.2 percent of spam messages. This represents a significant reduction compared to the same time last year when the country came second only to the United States and was responsible for relaying 7.5 percent of all spam emails.

Poland has seen the biggest single increase in spam output since the last quarter, moving up from tenth to sixth place in this global ‘hall of shame’, with the country now responsible for relaying 4.2 percent of all the world’s electronic junk messages. Colombia is the only nation to have left the ‘Dirty Dozen’ since Q1 2009, with Vietnam a new entry this quarter.

The top twelve countries responsible for relaying spam across the globe between April and June 2009 are as follows:

United States – 15.6%
Brazil – 11.1%
Turkey – 5.2%
India – 5.0%
South Korea – 4.7%
Poland – 4.2%
China (inc. Hong Kong) – 4.1%
Spain – 3.4%
Russia – 3.2%
Italy – 2.8%
Argentina – 2.5%
Vietnam – 2.3%
Other – 35.9%

South Africa is at number 61, responsible for 0.17% of spam.

Barack Obama’s recent speech on cyber security emphasised the threat posed by overseas criminals and enemy states, but these figures prove that there is a significant problem in his own back yard.

“If America could clean up its compromised PCs it would be a considerable benefit to everyone around the world who uses the net,” says Brett Myroff, CEO of regional Sophos distributor, Sophos South Africa. “All web users need to properly defend their computers from attack, and pledge to never act upon spam messages.”

Spam relayed by continent

Overall by continent, Asia continues to be the biggest offender. Almost a third of spam messages originated in the region for the second quarter of 2009, with South Korea and China being the biggest contributors.