Definition
Image spam is a type of email spam in which the message’s content, typically malicious, is embedded in an image instead of written text.
The spammer aims to evade spam filters that specifically scan for particular keywords. This spamming method is successful because many antispam systems cannot read images.
How Image Spamming Works
- Initially, spam was delivered through text messages, the format that most spam-blocking software is programmed to filter.
- Since most spam filters perform textual analysis and search for specific keywords, spammers embed text to evade the spam-blocking software.
- The spam message is delivered when the user opens the email without clicking the attachments.
How the Block Image Spam
- Delete the messages: A simple way to prevent image spam is to monitor your inbox and remove suspicious messages without opening them.
- OCR programs: Another way to avoid image spam is optical character recognition (OCR) programs that scan and analyze text and images. However, OCR programs may consume substantial bandwidth and can overwhelm your device’s CPU.