Barracuda Networks Warns Consumers Against April Fool's Day Spam.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 25, 2004

Industry-leading Spam Firewall Vendor Advises Consumers to be Cautious

of 'Joke' Emails; Spam Messages Carrying Viruses Expected to Increase

Barracuda Networks, leading provider of enterprise-class spam firewall solutions, today warned consumers about the possible rise of spam messages expected to hit inboxes over the next several days under the guise of April Fool's Day jokes. Barracuda Networks also warns that such messages may contain viruses or other malicious content that could cripple the user's network.

"Spammers tend to use the weeks leading up to holidays such as Christmas or Valentine's Day to their advantage because they know that consumers are looking to make purchases during that time, therefore messages offering 'great buys for the Holidays' or 'sweet deals for your sweetheart' are more likely to catch attention during that time," said Dean Drako, president and CEO of Barracuda Networks. "With April Fool's Day, spammers tend to be more creative knowing that consumers are not necessarily looking to buy, so instead they try to intrigue victims into opening messages by enticing their funny bone with the promise of a 'great joke.' Ultimately, such messages are no laughing matter and can result in lost productivity for businesses."

Barracuda Networks advises corporate IT personnel to be especially vigilant this week for messages that may appear to be harmless, and warns that the sheer quantity of these bogus messages could flood the network if spam and virus filters are not up to date. Some possible spam subject headers will likely include the words or phrases "free jokes," "prank," "gag," "April," and "fool." Barracuda Networks suggests that such words be included in the email subject and body filters for the next several days in order to ensure these messages are blocked. Additionally, Barracuda Networks plans to modify its spam rules for all Barracuda Spam Firewall customers to prevent potential April Fool's Day spam.

Barracuda Networks also points out several other ways in which businesses and consumers can fight spam on April Fool's Day and beyond, including: verify that emails were sent from a valid domain; block IP addresses of known spammers and make sure that spam and virus filters are updated with the most current definitions. Most importantly, Barracuda Networks advises businesses to remind its users to delete any messages they receive from email addresses they do not recognize.

"One of the most important steps in fighting spam and other malicious email is education," added Drako. "Although most email users have heard this warning a hundred times before, it only takes one person opening an attachment they don't recognize to cripple the whole system. One quick reminder could make all the difference."

About Barracuda Networks

Barracuda Networks is a privately held company with headquarters in Cupertino, California. The company was founded on the premise that spam is growing at an exponential rate and poses a tremendous threat to every company's productivity, and the optimal answer is a dedicated plug and play hardware solution. Barracuda Networks provides an enterprise-class spam filter and virus protection solution that has the ease-of-use and affordability that businesses demand. More information is available at www.barracudanetworks.com.