Wednesday, 2 April 2008

McAfee Launches Global S.P.A.M Experiment

McAfee has launched a global S.P.A.M. (Spammed Persistently All Month) 30 day experiment that encourages participants from around the world – ranging from homemakers, government executives, and students to retirees – to surf the Web, make online purchases and register for promotions.
With a proven link between spam and cybercrime, the experiment aims to show the devastating effects of spam.

Participants, who have been provided with a clean laptop without spam protection and a new email address, will blog about their experiences daily at www.mcafeespamexperiment.com

“Spam isn’t just a nuisance. It’s a tool used by cyber criminals to steal personal and business data,” said Christopher Bolin, chief technology officer for McAfee.

“And, as scammers become more adept at writing spam in local languages it’s becoming more difficult for Internet users to detect spam. It’s vital that computer users understand the risks of leaving their computers unprotected.”

Cybercriminals use spam to take control of millions of compromised computers around the world. Spam emails entice individuals at work and at home to handover sensitive information – and even cash – to criminals.

“Cybercrime won’t go away without solving the problem of spam,” said Dave DeWalt, chief executive officer for McAfee.

“McAfee is leading the fight against cybercrime and spam. This experiment will raise awareness of the problem by showing that a 30-day diet of spam is bad for your online health.”

S.P.A.M. Experiment participants are from ten countries spanning the globe, including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.