Internet users’ attitudes to spam

In the workplace, junk mail is often filtered before it reaches the e-mail server, so that company employees don’t even know what it contains. However, this is not the case for individual users. Despite the anti-spam filter in place, some spam still manages to get through, and web users behave differently when faced with such an email.

Percentage of spam emails received by users

In addition to being cumbersome, junk mail carries with it several types of computer threats such as viruses, scams, denial-of-service attacks, relaying, phishing and so on. Spammers’ favorite fields are numerous, but the most widespread are finance, health, pornography and gambling…

How Internet users handle spam

Spam is unwanted mail, i.e. it is unsolicited by the recipient. Despite this, the number of Internet users who continue to read or respond to spam is still considerable.

According to a survey carried out by an anti-spam association in the USA, more than 4 out of 10 Americans admit to having responded to a spam message. One person in 10 has even made a purchase of products or services presented by spammers in junk mail. They couldn’t resist the tempting offers that pirates had fashioned to lure them in. And yet, such tempting proposals should arouse the vigilance of Internet users.

When asked about their reasons for responding to spam, some people admitted to responding without thinking, while others did so out of curiosity. Yet all the survey participants who were interested in the content of junk mail claimed to have a sound knowledge of IT security, and they use a spam filter on their infrastructure.

The proportion of spam circulating on the network

According to the European security agency, the proportion of spam received by users exceeds 90%. Legitimate e-mails account for only 5% of all emails received in the inbox. To combat this scourge more effectively, operators and ISPs are not hesitating to block any spam that may be visible on their networks. Since spammers evolve with filters, some types of spam always manage to slip through the net.

How can I protect myself against spam?

If spammers persist in this way, it’s because many Internet users are interested in their proposals, and don’t hesitate to act on their e-mails, even if they’re illegitimate. By buying products offered through spam, Internet users contribute to the enrichment of spammers and pirates. The best way to reduce their earnings would therefore be not to respond to dubious commercial prospecting or other suspicious solicitations. Of course, we can only advise you to use a quality anti-spam software such as ALTOSPAM…