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Spyware Emerges as Biggest Security Challenge

As per the research conducted by Computing Technology Industrial Association (CompTIA), it has been discovered that spyware has now emerged as the biggest challenge for organizations while the risks from viruses, worms and browser has tremendously decreased.

In the past one year, 55% of almost 1,070 organizations surveyed declared that the volume of spyware they have combated has gone up. 54% of respondents said that lack of user awareness posed an important security challenge.

President and CEO CompTIA, John Venator, said that a few years ago, spyware was hardly considered as a concern. Its can be termed as a perfect example of how information security threats are shifting targets which can emerge as major challenges to even the most secure organization, as per the news by Darkreading on November 27, 2007.

Some more security challenges include browser-based attacks at 41.5%, viruses and worms at 49% and authorized user abuse at 44.2%. As compared to last year's survey, the number of incidents attributed to browser-based attacks, worms and viruses have lessened.

When the companies were asked to express their opinion on the types of security attacks they expected to face in the next three years, worms and viruses acquired the first position with 20% and 14% respectively. 9% acknowledged e-mail attachments and another 9% recognized wireless access as threats. Merely 5% thought that social engineering, phishing and identity theft would pose a threat. 5% held remote access as one of the upcoming major challenge.

In spite of the much-noted increment in the investment in IT security (from 15% in 2006 to 20% in 2007), the threats did not stop to evolve. It is a hard fact that companies are working hard to stop affecting these major challenges. And that is why they are spending around 20% of their budget of IT on security irrespective of whether its service, training or product.

John informs that almost one-third expressed their wish to increase spending on security-related technologies while another one-third wished to increase spending on training of security, as per the news by Informationweek on November 27, 2007.

Similarly, Webroot has noticed a 183% in sites nurturing spyware. Further, infection rates for spyware and Trojan that steals keystrokes are presently at 31% and are growing fast. In September 2007, Webroot claimed that almost 47.2% complained of lost sales because of spyware.

Related article: Spyware Detection Programs Track Advertisers’ Cookies

» SPAMfighter News - 12/12/2007

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