United States Is World Leader In Fastest Growing Type Of SMS Spam

PRESS RELEASE

Dallas, Tx., -- December 19, 2012 – The United States is emerging as an epicenter for global SMS spam attacks according to AdaptiveMobile, the world leader in mobile security. In an investigative report released today, the company has found that mobile advertising is providing the catalyst for unscrupulous groups to profit from consumers, similar to email scams in the early part of the decade.

The report, "US SMS Spam Ecosystem," likens the current environment in the United States to a Gold Rush for spammers, and identifies five distinct entities – list owners, SMS blasters, affiliates, affiliate networks and advertisers – as being the main drivers. Campaigns include weight loss programs, loans, lottery campaigns, and gift card offers. Traditional forms of protection are not working in fighting this type of spam, which is more sophisticated and difficult to detect.

AdaptiveMobile cites the low cost of sending text messages as one of the factors behind the emergence of these mobile spam campaigns. In some cases, SMS communications can be sent for 1 cent per message Similarly, a list of 100,000 mobile numbers broken down by carrier can cost as little as $400. Other reasons behind the success include the trust that consumers place in mobile along with the greater attention and quicker response rates given to mobile spam vs. similar campaigns on a PC.

"The increased smartphone adoption combined with a sophisticated telecommunications network and a pre-existing Affiliate Marketing industry make the United States a natural breeding ground for mobile marketing and advertising spam," said Ciaran Bradley, Vice President of Handset Security at AdaptiveMobile. "Since these scams are multi-faceted and involve a number of players, a more intensive, far-reaching approach to combatting the threats is needed."

The report also found a short lifecycle for companies involved in the practice, and two of the three main affiliate networks for SMS spam surveyed are no longer operational. Given the short amount of time they can operate, the customers of such networks go for higher daily profits, with some of the most prolific spammer averaging between $1,000 and $6,000 per day. Deep intelligence such as this report enables AdaptiveMobile to design market leading defenses to efficiently counter a dynamic threat environment.

To download your copy of the report please visit: http://www.adaptivemobile.com/downloads/us-sms-spam-ecosystem

About AdaptiveMobile:

AdaptiveMobile is the world leader in mobile security, enabling trusted networks for the world's largest operator groups and protecting one in six subscribers globally. AdaptiveMobile provides Operators with the most comprehensive network-based security solutions enabling them to protect their consumer and enterprise customers against the growing threat of mobile abuse. www.adaptivemobile.com