Spam overwhelms email messages

This is a story on the BBC website on a just-published Microsoft security report, which states that more than 97% of all e-mails sent over the net are unwanted.

Ed Gibson, chief cyber security advisor at Microsoft, said the rise in spam was due to traditional organised crime figures moving away from exploiting software vulnerabilities and "targeting the weak link that is you and me".

Mr Gibson told BBC News people had to be aware that if they did not update their applications, such as Office and Adobe, they were not just putting themselves at risk, but others on the internet also.

"If you don't update your software you are not just a hazard to yourself, you are hazard to others because you can be part of a botnet [if your computer is hijacked]."

The report also highlighted the rise in the use of so-called scareware, fake security programs which falsely tell people they need to install software which does nothing other than attempt to steal personal details from a user's PC.

For advice, hints and tips on security visit the Virus and Security Solution Centre.

And for more on how to tell if pop-ups are real or fake, read our scareware expert article on scareware from Asif Jinnah, UK Field Area IT Manager.