The Release of the February 2011 Email Security Report

The February 2011 “Email Security Report” was recently released by German email security firm eleven. The report highlights a temporary decline in spam toward the end of 2010 accompanied by the rise of virus outbreaks and botnet infrastructures. In the history of spamming, since 2003, there has never been such an extreme fluctuation in spam volumes as witnessed in December 2010 and January 2011.

On December 25^th, 2010, spam volumes were reported to decrease by 80 percent, remaining at that level until January 10^th, 2011. On this date, spam volume significantly rose six-fold reaching the levels prior to December 25^th. Simultaneously, the quantity of virus outbreaks rapidly increased indicating some type of collaboration.

The company states in the report these two events (spam and virus outbreaks) are related and the decrease is likely to be planned by the spamming community. Spammers took the time between these two dates to rebuild botnet infrastructures while replacing lost capacities. This defends these individuals from external factors. In turn, this task was accomplished by sending massive quantities of new virus, trying to infect as many computers and servers as possible.

Prior to the Christmas holiday, spamit.com was terminated while many botnets were eradicated. This is said to be a contributing factor to the major dip in spam. Other trends were reported including:

• The US is the leading source with 11 percent of the world’s spam
• Brazil produces 8 percent
• India and Russia share 7 percent
• Germany outputs 4 percent

In addition to the drastic increase of spamming and virus outbreaks following this break in nefarious activity, the report also stated that malware levels increased by 21.5 percent in the month of January. Therefore, these three malicious activities are unlikely to be coincidental. It is more logical that this was a planned event intended to rebuild and then release a significant amount of malevolent activity on the world.

This report is a vital aspect of the internet community. These statistics prove that there are many individuals or groups collaborating to wreak havoc on internet users. It seems with the shutdown of major components that are the source of spamming, viruses and malware, the attacks increase greatly as a result. It is unlikely spam, viruses and malware will ever completely be eradicated as there is always an expert out there looking to cause problems across the globe.

What to Consider When Selecting a Web Hosting Provider

Trying to choose a web hosting provider can be a confusing process. There are so many companies out there offering similar packages and promoting excellent service.  It’s important to know what to look for when trying to decide the provider that best meets your needs.  Each of the must-have essentials can easily be confirmed by researching the web hosting company thoroughly through their respected websites and through user reviews.

When examining different web hosting options, there are many things to consider.  Security, reliability, pricing, and customer service are among the most important things to take into consideration.  When deciding on a web hosting provider, it’s crucial to examine the security features offered in order to protect your site. The provider should offer at least basic data protection for your website.  It’s also imperative that the provider offers features that protect your site from hackers.

Security Measures

Some methods in which a web host provider can help protect your site are to make available firewalls as well as security patches.  The more protection the provider offers the potential for any stored data being stolen and breaches of security are significantly reduced.  Taking proactive security measures also reduces other risks that can lead to many problems including the loss of revenue and unnecessary expenses trying to resolve security breaches.

Reliability

Reliability is equally as important as security.  If the web hosting provider is unreliable, you as a client risk gaining access to your site.  Without being able to access your website and maintain it as you need, the web hosting provider you have chosen to support your site will be useless. Without a reliable web host provider, your site loses its effectiveness.  It’s also important to be aware of the providers’ server performance and compatibility with specific software applications. It’s also recommended to know the speed of the server and also allocated bandwidth.  Processor speed affects the ability of video and audio streaming, as well as many other animated web page elements.

Pricing

Another thing to consider when purchasing a web host provider is pricing.  While most users will be looking for the cheapest web hosting provider readily available, it’s important to remember that many web host plans are cheaper for a reason.  In many scenarios, the cheapest providers offer the least reliability as they often don’t primarily focus on the service that they are offer.  On the other end of the spectrum, there are web hosting providers that are specialists offering the best web hosting service available on the market today.  Unfortunately, however, these providers typically exceed most consumers’ spending capacity.  Therefore, consider it a wise marketing decision to shop around and compare prices; opt for the best affordable service and proven reliability at a reasonable price within your price range.

Customer Service

Customer service is also imperative to inquire about when opting for a web host provider.  This is especially important if you are going for a fully managed web hosting package, especially since such packages can be quite expensive and demand a high level of communication with the provider.  It’s important to know upfront what kind of customer service a web host provider offer:  Do they offer 24/7 customer service?  Do they offer support on chats, by phone, or via e-mail?  Is the number toll free if you must contact by phone?  One easy way to test a company’s customer service ability is by testing it; something that can generally be done for free by finding their contact information.  Simply give them a call or send them an e-mail inquiring about their customer service.  Doing so grants you insight to the web host provider’s efficiency and effectiveness.