Geek spam on the rise

According to MessageLabs, there is an increasing trend in "Geek spam". From the press release:

In recent weeks MessageLabs has noticed an increase in the number of spam emails that are specifically targeting individuals within the technology sector by using social engineering techniques. Called “geek spam,” this type of spam includes technology-related keywords within the email to dupe recipients into believing that the spam is actually something more relevant, such as a bug report. This targeted approach using hidden keywords can help to pollute the Bayesian filters often used by technology professionals. The use of technology buzzwords, such as .NET, cpan, xss and Java, hidden inside the body of the spam can ensure that the mail looks convincing enough for limited anti-spam software to allow it through.

I'm curious as to why the spammers chose this route. I would imagine that it is a combination of the fact that "geeks" are more likely to get a lot of email, buy things online, and read bug reports.
Perhaps "geeks" are otherwise a tough market for spam since they otherwise would not click through much of the seemingly obvious spam.

Posted by Eric at October 2, 2006 03:27 PM | TrackBack