Praed would like to see the companies that are affected by spam work together to go after the criminals. He would like to see companies share information about bad actors and bring more civil actions against spammers and their enablers. If companies could keep cybercriminals from using legitimate businesses, they could change the fundamental economics of the spam industry, and make it too expensive for many players.

"All those bad guys need enabling services," he said. "They're not flying on the criminal airlines. They're buying their computers from reputable sources. They're using off-the-shelf business software, and they use credit cards and cell phones just like you and me. That means corporate America collectively holds a tremendous amount of information about the bad guys in its own hands....but it isn't using that information to stop this illegal activity."

He added, "Good companies are starting to realize they can reduce costs and attract customers by being more proactive against cybercrime."