The Hindu Business Line : Spyware emerges major concern for enterprises

AFTER malicious e-mail attacks, spamming and phishing the corporate world is increasingly facing blended threats with spyware emerging as a cause for concern.

The Country Manager of WatchGuard Technologies, Mr Ajit Pillai, told Business Line that enterprise security has become a focus area for IT managers as they do business over the Web. Unlike traditional virus attacks or email-related problems, blended threats are difficult to track till they actually besiege a system.

"The spyware as a blended threat is a growing category of malicious software that installs on a computer without the user's knowledge and it can secretly gather information about a person or organisation. It ranges in type from adware to tracking agents to software designed to hijack a Web browser to a different destination," Mr Pillai explained.

Highlighting some of the findings of a global survey of over 2000 IT managers, Mr Pillai said that with Indian companies increasingly going global, this is an area of concern that needs to be addressed holistically by IT managers. Two-thirds of IT managers and administrators believe spyware will be the No. 1 threat to network security over the next twelve months. Sixty-six per cent of those questioned said that spyware will pose a greater threat to their networks than viruses or phishing attacks in 2005. About 65 per cent said among viruses, spyware and phishing, their networks are least protected from spyware.

Yet, when asked what the top security focus is for the executives within their organisations, only 38 per cent named spyware while 54 per cent said executives remain concentrated on virus threats. When IT administrators were asked if their users are aware of spyware, 73 per cent said more than half of their users did not.

According to Watchguard, a Nasdaq-listed global security services provider, these findings show up the real fear IT managers have for spyware. To ensure network protection, education is the best defence. All users need to fully understand the security risks and the financial impact of spyware attacks, as well as the practices they can implement to protect themselves and the network.

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