Spam is still a problem, but its becoming increasingly centralized — which could make its eradication that much more easier if those battling it play their cards right. Research firm MessageLabs reported Monday that 83.2 percent of all spam originates from Botnets.

To refresh your memory, a botnet is a group of computers running distributed software to perform tasks such as sending spam or distributing malware. Using botnets for spam could be blamed for the marked increase in spam itself: it now accounts for over 90 percent of all e-mail.

These systems not only send mail directly, but have also figured out ways to spam through webmail services, which end up making the messages look more legitimate.

MessageLabs has put a list together of the biggest spammers, and found the biggest target is “Cutwail,” which contributes 45% of all spam. Shutting down a network like that would obviously diminish considerably the amount of spam being sent out.

Indeed, this network was affected by a shutdown of its ISP, but was able to bounce back within hours. The firm says this shows spammers are also becoming more sophisticated in building these networks, ensuring they have backup systems to keep it running.

Other statistics found as part of the study indicated that one out of every 269 emails contained a virus in June. Likewise, one in 280 emails contained a phishing attack.

 
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