CAN-SPAM Compliance Climbs, But Has Little Impact On SpamCAN-SPAM Compliance Climbs, But Has Little Impact On Spam

Compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act hit a new record in November, according to analysis done by message security firm MX Logic, with a whopping six percent of all junk mail toeing the federal law's line.

The number represents a doubling of October's compliance rate and the highest monthly figure since CAN-SPAM went into effect January 2004.

November's slightly rosier picture notwithstanding, CAN-SPAM's poor showing means that users are getting more spam, not less, as was the intention. "Nearly a year after President Bush signed the CAN-SPAM Act, compliance remains marginal, while the overall [spam] volume has increased steadily," said Scott Chasin, MX Logic's chief technology officer, in a statement.

"The CAN-SPAM Act might have deterred some part-time spammers [but the act has had little impact on sophisticated spammers," said Chasin.

These professional spammers, added MX Logic, increasingly turn to networks of compromised machines -- dubbed "zombies" -- to transmit their junk mailings. Within the last three weeks, spam sent through zombies climbed as high as 69 percent.

The owners of zombie PCs -- which are usually connected to the Internet via DSL or cable broadband links -- rarely have a clue that their machines have been hijacked by spammers.