Download the Tom's Hardware App from the App Store
The reference for current tech news
Yes No
Ads

USA is the Top Spamming Country in the World

by - source: Tom's Guide US

Spam sucks and no matter what kind of filters we set up or how sensitive our junk settings are, spam will find a way to worm into our inboxes. So which country is responsible for the most spam? Oh, that'd be us.

In a recent study by IT security firm, Sophos, it emerged that America is responsible for 13.1 percent of spam. India came in second, accounting for 7.3 percent and Brazil took the bronze with 6.8 percent.

Sophos points out that China – often blamed for cybercrime by other countries – has disappeared from the "dirty dozen," coming in at 15th place with responsibility for relaying just 1.9% of the world’s spam.

"All eyes aren’t so much on which countries are on the list, but the one which isn’t," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "China has earned itself a bad reputation in many countries’ eyes for being the launch pad of targeted attacks against foreign companies and government networks, but at least in the last 12 months they have demonstrated that the proportion of spam relayed by their computers has steadily declined."

The top 12 countries for spam are listed below.

Share:
43
Comments
Read more
X
Submit

Comments
Add your comment
Spanky Deluxe 04/30/2010 12:31 PM
Hide
-14+

Quote :Oh, that'd be us.


I never knew Ireland was the lead exporter of spam {spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spamty spam oh spamty spam}.

house70 04/30/2010 12:33 PM
Hide
-0+

Hope this will be followed by less finger-pointing from our part...

maestintaolius 04/30/2010 12:34 PM
Hide
-20+

BOOYA!!! Take that rest of the world! America is number 1!!! I always knew we were the best!

aoenate 04/30/2010 12:37 PM
Hide
-12+

What is their definition of "spam"? Do mass emails and newsletters fall into the "spam" category? If so I'm not surprised that the US is at the top. Most spam i actually receive seems to be in broken English - makes me think it's originating out of the country.

nforce4max 04/30/2010 12:39 PM
Hide
-7+

I must wonder........Checks inbox
Porn x300+
cheap Viagra x120+
Real estate x400+
Bill collection 300+
and so much more =/
There is even bait from Chase and City bank, $100 hand out with strings attached.

intelliclint 04/30/2010 12:43 PM
Hide
-20+

Spam relaying doesn't determine the source. All it means is that US has poorly configured and firewalled SMTP servers. The defualt configuration of SMTP for Windows Server 2003 and older is basicly wide open and will relay any email. Postfix isn't much better.

knowom 04/30/2010 12:47 PM
Show
luc vr 04/30/2010 12:50 PM
Hide
-0+

nigeria is hustle

knowom 04/30/2010 1:02 AM
Hide
-8+

"Sophos points out that China – often blamed for cybercrime by other countries – has disappeared from the "dirty dozen," coming in at 15th place with responsibility for relaying just 1.9% of the world’s spam."

Was the study conducted inside or outside of "The great firewall of China!" is the real question.

RazberyBandit 04/30/2010 1:01 AM
Hide
-20+

I guess the Chinese have finally finished setting up all their US proxies. :D

dogofwars 04/30/2010 1:03 AM
Hide
--1+

I though I saw somewhere that a lot of spam came from Canada, does not seem to be the case there or are we considerate to be part of the USA.

Ehsan w 04/30/2010 1:04 AM
Show
skit75 04/30/2010 1:20 AM
Hide
-3+

intelliclint :
Spam relaying doesn't determine the source. All it means is that US has poorly configured and firewalled SMTP servers. The defualt configuration of SMTP for Windows Server 2003 and older is basicly wide open and will relay any email. Postfix isn't much better.


RazberyBandit :
I guess the Chinese have finally finished setting up all their US proxies.



My thoughts exactly. It's not that I choose to ignore facts. I just think the spammers are WAY smarter than those responsible for this survey at Sophos.

Bruceification73 04/30/2010 1:23 AM
Hide
-2+

knowom :
"Sophos points out that China – often blamed for cybercrime by other countries – has disappeared from the "dirty dozen," coming in at 15th place with responsibility for relaying just 1.9% of the world’s spam." Was the study conducted inside or outside of "The great firewall of China!" is the real question.



good question. I do know that most of the viruses and cyber attacks still come from China, but I'm not so sure about spam. I wish these stupid news articles were put together better and gave more information about the study/review/whatever.

Bruceification73 04/30/2010 1:28 AM
Hide
--3+

dogofwars :
I though I saw somewhere that a lot of spam came from Canada, does not seem to be the case there or are we considerate to be part of the USA.



Probably part of the USA, considering the fact that many wackos want to make us the North American Union. Otherwise, the only reason Canada didn't make it to the list is because there are only 30 million people in Canada, and most of them do not send spam. It may be a high percentage there, but not necessarily a high quantity.

drwho1 04/30/2010 1:30 AM
Hide
--2+

I get nearly every day over a dozen chinese or is it japanese?
spams everyday (most go directly to the junk folder but sometimes they land on my inbox.

the lotto winners scams are second to them.

and don't forget the Mr. or Ms. Ithinkyourdumb asking for help.
pretty pathetic.

spams are not fun and no matter how much I do to block them I still get tons of them.

kennyforgames 04/30/2010 1:39 AM
Show
JMcEntegart 04/30/2010 1:55 AM
Hide
-9+

Spanky Deluxe :
I never knew Ireland was the lead exporter of spam {spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spamty spam oh spamty spam}.



Well, I do write for a US website for a company based in the USA.

And update: Irish Jane no longer lives in Ireland! :O

ravewulf 04/30/2010 2:03 AM
Hide
-2+

JMcEntegart :
Well, I do write for a US website for a company based in the USA. I did move to Canada last week too! But while it's in North America, I'm fairly certain it's not America.


So that's why I haven't seen as many articles from you lately! Do you like it there?

xophaser 04/30/2010 2:07 AM
Hide
-0+

I would like to meet one of these guys in the US and smack'em. Thank you career builder for all the spam in the world. I signed up for that and they sell your email address to all the internet clowns.

JMcEntegart 04/30/2010 2:09 AM
Hide
-8+

ravewulf :
So that's why I havn't seen as many articles from you lately! Do you like it there?



I was on holiday for most of last week and part of the week before but I'm back now. :)

North America has Lucky Charms and Wal-Mart; what's not to love?

Bruceification73 04/30/2010 2:17 AM
Hide
-4+

I live in the USA and I almost never get spam. I just use windows live microsoft outlook express. doesn't even go to junk folder, I just don't get any (except the occasional Nigerian scam, which is inevitable).

Bruceification73 04/30/2010 2:17 AM
Hide
-2+

Most of my Nigerian scams come from the same dude, "Awo Obiaya", or something like that, and are about giving him money for his wife's liver transplant so he can give me 7 million dollars. It's the stupidest thing I've ever seen, and he keeps sending it to me. terrible english, too.

JMcEntegart 04/30/2010 2:27 AM
Hide
-5+

Bruceification73 :
Most of my Nigerian scams come from the same dude, "Awo Obiaya", or something like that, and are about giving him money for his wife's liver transplant so he can give me 7 million dollars. It's the stupidest thing I've ever seen, and he keeps sending it to me. terrible english, too.



Some Nigerian guy wanted to rent me a 4 bedroom apartment in the middle of Dublin City Centre for €100 a week. Apparently he needed the original copy birth certificate to do that.

septentriones 04/30/2010 2:52 AM
Hide
-0+

Maybe I just don't get around enough, but I've never had any spam problems, even on my second email address for memberships and such. (unless you consider college email spam and they offer the option of canceling)

digiex 04/30/2010 3:08 AM
Hide
-0+

I always know that spam is made in the USA.

v1ze 04/30/2010 3:55 AM
Hide
-4+

The prince of the USA has requested personal information for your $1 Million in cash!

nekatreven 04/30/2010 3:58 AM
Hide
--1+

JMcEntegart :
I was on holiday for most of last week and part of the week before but I'm back now. North America has Lucky Charms and Wal-Mart; what's not to love?



I'd written something I thought was pretty great in response...and was rather sad during my routine fact double-check that you'd actually not moved to the US and it no longer made sense.

...Something along the lines of being closer to the creepy nerds who hit on you in the comments, and a reference to this video. ...oh well



banHammer.offTopic.deactivate("YAY AMERICAN SPAM!");

nekatreven 04/30/2010 4:03 AM
Hide
-0+

hey it yanked my video...oh well. go find Jackie Chan meeting Chris Rock in Rush Hour.

JMcEntegart 04/30/2010 4:26 AM
Hide
-2+

nekatreven :
I'd written something I thought was pretty great in response...and was rather sad during my routine fact double-check that you'd actually not moved to the US and it no longer made sense....Something along the lines of being closer to the creepy nerds who hit on you in the comments, and a reference to this video. ...oh wellbanHammer.offTopic.deactivate("YAY AMERICAN SPAM!");



Fact double-check? I've got a serious case of jetlag that suggests I did indeed move halfway across the world last week!

Dirtman73 04/30/2010 4:44 AM
Hide
-2+

We have a lot of spam, and we're also the fattest in the world...coincidence?


Ads

Best offers

Newsletters


OK
Ads