Spyware now seen as top security threat

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 25 October 2005 18:44

Business IT - Technology

Australian businesses see spyware as their top web security issue, above employees accessing unauthorised Internet sites and web-based viral threats and malware.

A telephone survey of 81 Australian businesses about their IT security needs conducted by MessageLabs - a provider of messaging security and management services to businesse - in September 2005 found that 49 percent of respondents cited spyware as their biggest web threat and 66 percent ranked spyware in their top five overall IT security priorities.

According to James Scollay, vice president MessageLabs Asia Pacific. "Attackers now combine an understanding of human behaviour with technical subterfuge. We are seeing targeted spam posing as legitimate email which encourages readers to open links to sites which unintentionally download malicious code such as spyware."

The survey found that almost 60 percent of respondents had already experienced spyware issues, but more than one third of companies currently had no web filtering in place.

 Almost half said they planned to introduce new or additional anti-spyware measures in the next three to six months.