BitDefender's Spam Omelette 22 Spotlights "EMAIL" as Top Spam Word in Weekly Analysis of E-Threat Trends

The word "EMAIL" has been identified as the top spam word in Spam Omelette 22, BitDefender's weekly review on spam and the latest industry trends. Spam Omelette is part of MalwareCity.com , which is supported by BitDefender ®, an award-winning provider of innovative anti-malware security solutions.

In week 22 of Spam Omelette, the top spam words include:

1. EMAIL -- Ranking first in this week's Spam Omelette, the word "EMAIL" has been detected by BitDefender researchers in unsolicited messages from WebMed and Canadian Pharmacy promoting the sexual enhancement drugs Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. The spam message is designed to impersonate a legitimate newsletter sent from Microsoft's popular service MSN. The message template features the same disclaimer along with the mandatory unsubscribe link.

2. VOUS, POUR, SUR, LES and VOTRE -- The French words "VOUS," "POUR," "SUR," "LES," and "VOTRE" rank second in Spam Omelette 22 and have been identified in spam messages from Canadian Healthcare. Since a majority of Canada's population speak both English and French, it is possible the French version of the newsletter was targeted to the respective market.

3. PLEASE -- Ranking third in this week's Spam Omelette, the word "PLEASE" has been identified in spam messages advertising sexual enhancement products from Canadian Healthcare that are not approved by the FDA. The message features front-page celebrities in highly unlikely situations with subject lines such as "Shocking! Eminem Caresses Britney!"

4. CLICK -- Ranking fourth in this week's Spam Omelette, the word "CLICK" has been identified in spam messages related to miscellaneous online medicine stores, namely Canadian Pharmacy and Canadian Healthcare. Canadian Pharmacy is also responsible for the forged health.com newsletter, a modified spam template with plenty of links -- which lead to the same six-letter domain name registered with a Chinese top-level domain name.

5. COLOR -- The word "COLOR" makes its first appearance on Spam Omelette this week and is found in unsolicited messages advertising the services of a Taiwan-based online sex-shop. The message contains a large-scale HTML coding error in the spam template.

To read the entire Spam Omelette # 22, please visit MalwareCity.com .

To create Spam Omelette, BitDefender analyzes approximately 7 million spam messages collected through BitDefender's worldwide network of "honey pots." A honey pot is an e-mail address that is only used to collect spam. The large number of analyzed messages and the global distribution of honey pots ensure reliable results.

The resulting map provides visual cues for understanding what the new trends in spam messages are, while providing significant insight to researchers on the current spam campaigns.

About BitDefender®

BitDefender is the creator of one of the industry's fastest and most effective lines of internationally certified security software . Since its inception in 2001, BitDefender has continued to raise the bar and set new standards in proactive threat prevention, emerging as the industry's anti-malware innovator. Every day, BitDefender protects tens of millions of home and corporate users across the globe -- giving them the peace of mind of knowing that their digital experiences will be secure. BitDefender solutions are distributed by a global network of value-added distribution and reseller partners in more than 100 countries worldwide. More information about BitDefender and its products are available at the company's security solutions press room. Additionally, BitDefender's www.malwarecity.com provides background and the latest updates on security threats helping users stay informed in the everyday battle against malware.

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