PDF spam not a threat: Adobe
PDF spam is more a nuisance than a security risk, according to Adobe, which claims there is "no hard evidence" where the junk e-mail has become a serious issue.
Responding to a query on whether PDF spam can embed malicious software, Erick Lee, a security engineer at Adobe, wrote in an e-mail on Wednesday: "PDF is no more able to embed malware on an unsuspecting user's system than any other typical e-mail attachment."
Over the last two months, security vendors have seen a spike in spam embedded within PDF documents. Last week, it was used in a large-scale "pump-and-dump" scam which reportedly caused a huge spike in spam levels, as well as the share price of the company highlighted in the PDF spam campaign.
