Threat is maybe not the first word that comes into your mind when talking about spam. It is more associated with irritation and considered as harmless trash that fills your inbox. But spam can be much more harmful than most people are aware of.

Research has shown that more than 90% of all users receive spam and that the annual cost for US enterprises cleaning up spam is estimated to be around USD 20 billion. At the same time as the spam emails are increasing in number, it is also growing to be a more serious threat.

- Spam has been clogging email inboxes for years, with adverts for pornography, Viagra and get-rich-quick scams arriving at a dizzying rate. But three years ago the picture changed slightly, says Steve Linford, the founder of Spamhouse, to the SC magazine.

After realising the problem of spam, he devoted his life to fight against this threat against the IT security. Linford explains that the virus spam changed in 2002.

- Around Easter 2002 virus spam started, and the problem took a different road. Viruses were built and commissioned to take over machines. It was then the criminal element got involved, says Linford.

After 2002, spam was no longer the preserve of individuals trying to make a quick buck. It was now the domain of organized crime.

Recent research shows that more than 87% of all computer viruses enter the computer through email distribution. Taken into account that the viruses are getting more and more advanced and capable of inflicting heavy costs upon the user, it is evident that spam is no longer an innocent plague.

Phishers, who trick you into giving sensitive information to criminals, are also using spam as their working method. Phishers are sending out fake emails pretending to be from a legal organisation or company ( in many cases a financial institution), asking you to update your personal information in a document attached to the email.

Linford, being an antispam activist, has received death threats from criminal groups that use spam as their main method. As a consequence he has been advised not to open unknown packages. This obviously leaves no doubt as to how serious the people behind organized spamming are.