PDF Spam


We’re all used to typical spam email, Free iPhones, stock tips or vacations, anyone? The Web is a spammer’s paradise and unfortunately for many of us, we don’t have the proper tools we should have to combat these pesky, potential threats to our PC security. A new wave of spam is emerging, the PDF or Portable Document Format spam, the same PDF files that you are use to receiving from reputable companies.
While the ever popular (with spammers) image spam seems to be on the decline, PDF spam is hot ... for now. So what exactly is this annoying new spam creation? It’s a very large file attachement that contains no information or text within the email itself but the PDF file can contain pages of professional looking advertisements for stock tips or iPhone ... and so on. PDF file attachments are typically much larger than .GIF (image) files, so they can prove hazardous on your memory and maximum email MB’s but it currently appears that is the extent of the threat.
Nearly 30% of all spammed emails now are reportedly PDF-laden and this could potentially put your computer at risk. Take a look at what PDF spam looks like.
The emails themselves do not currently contain any malware or viruses, as hackers and spammers delve into new ways to compromise security, it’s vital to protect your PC’s with comprehensive internet security tools.
As usual, unless you know the sender and that they are sending you a PDF file ... never open these files.