Bringing security to instant messaging

摘要

In February the first arrest was made of a man who violated the CAN-SPAM law by sending unsolicited commercial messages not over traditional e-mail but over instant messaging. Given the rate at which e-mail threats, including spam, viruses and phishing attacks, are migrating to the world of instant messaging, this arrest isn't likely to be the last of its kind. "Virtually every one of the issues we've had to deal with regarding e-mail hygiene is currently applicable to instant messaging or will be soon," says Matt Cain, an analyst with Meta Group."It's just a matter of time before we see hackers, virus writers and spammers aggressively target IM." Clearly IM is not nearly as widely used as e-mail on enterprise networks, and therefore the threats are not as significant. However, the advantage of having this low-cost, real-time communications mechanism on users' desktops is gaining popularity in the corporate world.The Radicati Group estimates 85% of corporations in North America are using IM, either as a sanctioned corporate application or in unauthorized pockets.That's up from 70% in 2003, the last year the firm tracked it.