Spam volume continues to skyrocket

The Proofpoint Attack Response Center (PARC) has seen enterprise spam volumes rise by more than 50% during the first quarter of 2008 accompanied by short-term spikes of 60% or more. PARC’s observations measure the volume of spam targeted to enterprises worldwide and represent an average increase across enterprises. Some enterprises have seen spam volume increases as high as 200% in Q1 2008.

Based on these trends, Proofpoint anticipates that enterprises will see inbound email spam volume more than double this year, continuing the trend of the last two years.

The high volumes of email associated with today’s spam attacks can escalate the number of inbound messages between 500% and 700% within a period of hours. This sudden, exponential growth in spam volumes can easily strain IT network infrastructure to the point of failure.