Survey Gives Various Statistics on Spyware

Peapod together with FaceTime Communications conducted a survey on real-time threats. It found that out of 73% business organizations that suffered a spyware attack in 2006, 19% had failed to establish the source. This raises the question if there is full protection of organizations' networks where there is no clear identification of the total extent of risk involved.

The survey shows a lack of knowledge about protective measures against real-time threats. spyware currently has three sub-categories: spyware itself, adware and PUPs. Adware is a spyware that uses pop-ups, banners etc to display advertisements on infected PCs.

Spyware gathers information about users' online behavior such as the Web sites they visit, searches they make on search engines and other Internet activities. However, it does not show any ads. In January 2007, this sub-category accounted for 6.5% of the entire spyware detection.

The survey findings also indicated that 3 out of 4 organizations in U.K. that permit Instant Messaging do not give due importance to managing it. This is despite law prevailing for the tool in similar parity with e-mail. Related to this are statistics of organizations that have prohibited IM in the workplace. While 57% of them practice the ban, 70% use obsolete or 'easy to get around' methods to implement the ban.

According to Chris Durnam, MD of Peapod, the banning practice is particularly relevant for IM. For those who correctly use IM, it is a beneficial communications tool, but being careless or ignorant about it can produce nasty results.

Many organizations fail to recognize that IM networks and aggregators characteristically evade security programs like those that block ports. This puts them at risk as spyware enters the network through IM channels. Most respondents said they use port-blocking applications to control IM but this is in conflict with the mode of their operations. When many IM fail to evade default port blockings they find an alternative route through HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol).

Therefore Chris Durnam says that technology is not the only solution. Users also have a key role in ensuring that they don't allow spyware to slip in and affect the infrastructure.

Related article: Survey Finds 96% Zombie PCs in Malaysia

» SPAMfighter News - 3/5/2007