"Quite a few messages we see are from job agencies and spiritual publications who referenced the current economic climate quite heavily. The spam related to employment typically targets job seekers who have recently lost their jobs; the spiritual publications attempt to take advantage of people's despair at facing financial trauma to peddle their wares," Andrew Browne, Lavasoft malware analyst and Malware Labs team leader, says of the recent types of spam messages being seen.

Fake or misleading security software, also referred to as rogue software or scareware, is another threat that users are increasingly faced with, and must be vigilant about avoiding. An innocent attempt to keep personal data safe is what leads some users to fall for these rogue programs.


"Today’s consumers are, understandably, very worried about malware that allows unauthorized access to their bank accounts, compromises their privacy, or leaves them vulnerable to identity theft. Ironically, the desire to be protected from these threats is a significant factor that drives the increase of financially motivated malware in the form of fake security software," Browne says.

To navigate these schemes, Lavasoft underscores the importance of having trusted, up-to-date security software in place on PCs, combined with exercising awareness and common sense when browsing the Web.