Image Spam Definition

Image spam refers to unwanted messages that show content through an image rather than plain text. These images often advertise fake offers, link to malicious phishing pages, or track when a message is opened.

What Happens in Image Spam

In image spam, senders hide a message inside an image instead of showing it as normal text. The spammer then attaches or embeds the picture in an email, so it shows up as part of the message when you open it. The image might display a fake offer, a link to a spoofed website, or include a button encouraging you to click it.

Because the message is hidden inside a picture, it can make it more difficult for some spam filters to scan or read it. However, many modern programs now use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and machine learning to analyze images, URL links, and reputation signals, and catch image spam early.

Spam pictures are usually sent in bulk to many email addresses at once, with small changes to each image (like a different font or color) to make them harder to detect. Some image spam also loads pictures from external servers or through tracking pixels. Both methods can let the spammer know the email was opened and that the email address is active. As a precaution, most modern email providers now block external images by default to protect user privacy and prevent tracking.

Common Forms of Image Spam

• Single-image emails: Contain one large picture with little or no text, often linking to a fake or malicious website.
• Distorted text images: Have blurry or stretched writing to make it difficult to detect by spam filters that try to read text.
• Imitation ads: Mirror the look of trusted brands or services to appear legitimate.
• Online posts: Show up in social media comments, ads, or forums where the same image is reused to spread scams or phishing links.

Read More

• What Is Anti-Spam?
• What Is an Anti-Phishing Service?

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