It’s finally here! Talking spam!

This morning Commtouch Software Ltd., the Israeli antispam service vendor, announced that its Commtouch Detection Center has identified a huge outbreak of MP3 spam. Other antispam vendors have also detected it. These messages come with MP3 attachments that, when opened, play voice messages promoting stocks.

To hear an edited version of one of these messages, click here: click here

That distorted voice is creepy. It sounds like a female version of HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Commtouch says it hasn’t detected a virus threat in the spam yet and the files are larger than standard spam, averaging around 85 KB, and reaching up to 147 KB. The message contents are mostly empty. The MP3 files carry the marketing message.

According to Commtouch, these messages have accounted for 7% to 10% of all global spam over the last day or so.

The spammers have of course given names to these MP3 files that are supposed to induce you to open them. Sample file names include dadsong.mp3, oursong.mp3, weddingsong.mp3, smashingpumpkins.mp3, bspears.mp3, gloariaestefan.mp3, beatles.mp3 and coolringtone.mp3. Would anyone really want to open an MP3 from Britney Spears these days?