CTCHD Commtouch Software Ltd. (MM)

Commtouch� (Nasdaq:CTCHD) today released its 2007 Q4 Email Threats Trend Report, based on the automated analysis of billions of email messages weekly. The report examines recent trends in email threats such as the growth and development of zombie botnets that disseminate a range of Internet threats including spam, malware, phishing and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Highlights of the report include: Global spam levels remain high, reaching 96% of all email at its peak during the quarter Blended threats combined email, malware and malicious websites �Storm Worm� botnet caused numerous outbreaks throughout the quarter, including several new spam formats and blended-threat emails 70% of spam messages at the end of Q4 featured sexual enhancement products Storm Botnet: Massive, Cunning and Aggressive Throughout Q4 the so-called �Storm Worm� botnet was responsible for numerous outbreaks, including MP3 spam, in which an audio stock pump-and-dump message was distributed as an .mp3 email attachment. During outbreak peaks, MP3 spam accounted for 7-10% of all global spam. Like all botnets, Storm is made up of a massive global network of PCs infected with malware that gives the botmaster remote control. Though end-users are not likely to notice they have been infected, the botmaster can use the hijacked computing power to generate and send spam and malware, host malicious websites, and even perform DDoS attacks. Traditional anti-spam, anti-virus and IP blocking technologies are unable to keep pace with the dynamic activation and deactivation of the endless number of dynamic IPs. �Botnets were the culprits in all types of malicious activity during 2007,� said Amir Lev, Commtouch�s president and chief technology officer. �Zombies and in particular the Storm botnet are so cunning about hiding their control channels, the only effective way to protect against them is to dynamically detect and block malicious zombie IP addresses.� Holiday-related Threats Sour the Season Q4 was particularly hard-hit by wave after wave of holiday-themed email threats. From October through New Year�s, cyber criminals took advantage of goodwill and celebratory moods to slip past security solutions and into inboxes. Halloween ushered in the season with a blended-threat campaign promising an entertaining �dancing skeleton,� but instead delivered users to a malicious website that infected them with malware. Next a Thanksgiving spam outbreak was sent with Subject lines offering everything from dates to diets. Christmas delivered a holiday-themed blended-threat email including a link to a site that attempted to download new variants of the Storm malware. More details, including samples of spam and blended-threat email containing malware and links to malicious websites, are available in the Commtouch 2007 Q4 Email Threats Trend Report, available from Commtouch Labs at: http://www.commtouch.com/downloads/Commtouch_2007_Q4_Email_Threats.pdf NOTE: Reported global spam levels are the ratio of Internet email traffic as measured from unfiltered data streams, not including internal corporate traffic. Therefore global spam levels will differ from the quantities reaching end user inboxes, due to several possible layers of filtering at the ISP level. About Commtouch Commtouch Software Ltd. (NASDAQ:CTCHD) is dedicated to protecting and preserving the integrity of the world's most important communications tool -- e-mail. Commtouch has over 16 years of experience developing messaging software and is a global developer and provider of proprietary anti-spam, Zero-Hour virus protection and Reputation Service solutions. Using core technologies including RPD (Recurrent Pattern Detection�), the Commtouch Detection Center analyzes billions of email messages per week to identify new spam and malware outbreaks within minutes of their introduction into the Internet. Integrated by scores of OEM partners, Commtouch technology protects thousands of organizations, with hundreds of millions of users in over 100 countries. Commtouch is headquartered in Netanya, Israel, and has a subsidiary in Sunnyvale, Calif. For more information, see: http://www.commtouch.com. The site includes the Commtouch online lab detailing spam statistics and charts. Recurrent Pattern Detection, RPD, Zero-Hour and GlobalView are trademarks, and Commtouch is a registered trademark, of Commtouch Software Ltd. U.S. Patent No. 6,330,590 is owned by Commtouch.