European Mobile Operators Aren't Protecting Users Against Spam, Warns Cloudmark
New Research Finds that Operators Anticipate Increased Mobile Spam Attacks, But Are Slow to Protect Against Them
San Francisco – December 10, 2008 – Cloudmark, Inc., the global leader in carrier-grade messaging security, today announced the results of a recent survey, which finds that 100 percent of the top 12 mobile operators in Europe anticipate mobile spam volumes to rise as adoption of mobile social networking and mobile e-mail increases. Remarkably, however, only 16 percent are considering how to best guard against spam through mobile Internet and e-mail.
As use of mobile messaging continues to surge, users of text and multimedia messaging are also encountering a corresponding increase in the number of unsolicited messages sent to their mobile devices. Currently, mobile operators across Europe admit that up to 20 percent of their users are affected by mobile Short Message Service (SMS) spam; however, 83 percent don't yet have a filtering system in place to protect customers.
"It's imperative that mobile operators take all spam seriously and implement security solutions now to prevent losing customers," said Neil Cook, head of technology services EMEA at Cloudmark. "In a related survey we conducted earlier this year, two-thirds of customers would consider leaving their mobile network due to spam. So, the threat of losing customers as a result of increased spam is one that providers should take seriously."
Further, while all the surveyed operators acknowledge the spam problem, most are still not planning to implement a solution. A full quarter of those surveyed claim that they do not have the necessary budget and an additional 25 percent reasoned that they do not believe the problem to be big enough or they would deal with it at a later date.
Cook continued, "This reactive tactic may prove costly for operators striving to maintain low levels of customer churn. As the problem grows beyond simple spam attacks to identity theft, phishing and fraud, customer safety will decrease, exacerbating dissatisfaction and churn. Without providing additional messaging security now, mobile operators will unnecessarily put their customers and businesses at risk."
About Cloudmark
Cloudmark builds messaging security software that protects communications service provider networks and their subscribers against the widest range of messaging threats. Only Cloudmark Security Platform™ delivers instant security and control across diverse messaging environments, enabling communications service providers to create a safe user experience, protect revenue and safeguard their brand, while streamlining infrastructure and reducing operational costs. Cloudmark's patented solutions protect more than 120 tier-one customers worldwide, including AT&T, Verizon, Swisscom, Comcast, Cox and NTT.