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A worldwide experiment to find out the effects of spam on an unprotected computer is underway.
The experiment, the first of its kind, is called S.PA.M – an acronym for Spammed Persistently All Month, and is being run by McAfee.
It involves 50 participants in global locations who will spend 30 days going about business ranging from simple web-surfing to online shopping and registering for promotions.
The participants come from all walks of life, including a 21 year old student, a 30-year old entrepeneur and a 40 year old software developer.
The catch is that their machines will be completely unprotected against spam for the duration of the experiment, during which they will write a blog about their experiences.
The experiment is intended to raise awareness of the links between spam and cybercrime, which according to Dave DeWalt, McAfee chief executive officer, ‘won’t go away without solving the problem of spam’.
McAfee believe that spam is not merely annoying, but can also be dangerous – ‘Spam isn’t just a nuisance. It’s a tool used by cyber criminals to steal personal and business data,’ said Christopher Bolin, McAfee chief technology officer.
The cyber crooks use spam to compromise computers and to trick users into revealing confidential personal information.
The experiment would help drum in the importance of protection, as spam grows more widespread.
Bolin said ‘As scammers become more adept at writing spam in local languages it’s becoming more difficult for internet users to detect spam. It’s vital that computer users understand the risks of leaving their computers unprotected.’
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