Spyware Statistics -- Whats New in May 2005?

Although statistics often is blamed for various deadly sins -- from being biased to being inaccurate -- there is nothing left to those who are anyhow connected with IT but to keep up with fresh data. Since spyware is literally ubiquitous, nobody who owns or uses a PC can say that it is none of his business. So general public also has to keep an eye on the news about spyware.

On May 3 Webroot Software, a privately held anti-spyware company based in Boulder, Colorado, released a comprehensive report on spyware, The State of Spyware Report, -- an in-depth review and analysis of the impact of spyware, adware and other types of unwanted software on consumers and enterprises.

The results of Spy Audit survey made by ISP Earthlink and Webroot Software are still fresh in memory of IT security experts. The study lasted for the whole last year; more than 4.6 million system scans were made in 2004. What's new in 2005?

"Industry experts suggest that these types of programs [i.e. spyware in general] may reside on up to 90 percent of all Internet-connected computers" that's the quote from the last year's Spy Audit survey. The first quarter of 2005, alas, confirmed these suggestions.

During Q1, 2005, 88% of scans made with Webroot's SpyAudit software found some form of unwanted program (Trojan, system monitor, cookie or adware) on consumers' computers. The majority (87%) of corporate PCs also had unwanted programs or cookies.

Excluding cookies, which are not such a serious problem as key logger programs or Trojan horses, more than 55% of corporate PCs contained unwanted programs. There were an average of 7.2 non-cookie infections per PC.

System monitors (key logger programs) were found in 7% cent of consumer and enterprise PCs scanned by Webroot's software. In Q4 2004 there were 19%. Trojan horse programs were found on 19% of consumer PCs and 7% of enterprise PCs, the same figures as in Q4 2004.

This year's State of Spyware Report data come from Webroot's SpyAudit results and from online research made by Phileas, Webroot's automated spyware research system. Phileas has identified 4,294 sites (with almost 90,000 pages) containing some form of spyware.

This report for the first quarter of 2005 entirely confirmed the concept that had become as clear as day in 2004 -- from being not much more than a nuisance for PC users, spyware turned into one of the major threats to information security.

Since the Internet has become a part of daily life and business, rapid growth of such kinds of cybercrime as identity theft and phishing endanger the whole society. Some types of spyware, namely software capable of stealing passwords, SSNs and other valuable information (keyloggers and keylogger-containing malware), certainly facilitate these crimes.

The complete report for Q1 2005 is available at http://www.webroot.com/stateofspyware (Registration is required) In the future an updated version of Webroot's State of Spyware Report will be released at the end of each quarter. Keep an eye on the news!

Alexandra Gamanenko currently works at Raytown Corporation, LLC -- an independent software developing company that provides various solutions for information security. The company's R&D department created an innovative technology, which disables the very processes of information capturing -- keylogging, screenshoting, etc. Anti-keylogging software from Raytown Corporation, LLC doesn't detect spy programs or information-stealing Trojans one by one -- they all simply can't work.

Learn more -- visit the company's website http://www.anti-keyloggers.com

---

Crystal Reports - Geterogeneus databases: SQL Server, Oracle, Unidata, Btrieve ? Tips For Developer

Crystal Reports is the most flexible tool on the market... Read More

Microsoft and Webmasters

Does Microsoft care for WebmastersIt's always been a problem with... Read More

Things You Can Do With Windows XP!

Did you ever give a thought to the number of... Read More

About Microsoft Sysprep (System Preparation) Utility (Windows 2000)

The Microsoft system preparation utility for Windows 2000 is a... Read More

Spyware - The Internet Devil Of Our Times!

Spyware and Adware infest over 90 percent of computers in... Read More

Daffodil DB: Web Database

What is a Web Database?A web database is a database... Read More

How to Choose the Right Accounting Software for Your Business

With any good luck and a good amount of hard... Read More

The Dirt on Screensavers

Remember back in the days where screensavers were the coolest... Read More

Spyware Statistics -- Whats New in May 2005?

Although statistics often is blamed for various deadly sins --... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains PM: Payables Management

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is marketed for mid-size companies... Read More

MicroWorld Releases New Version of MailScan Ver. 4.5 - Antivirus and Content Security Software

MicroWorld Technologies, Inc. the leading solutions provider in the area... Read More

Microsoft CRM Customization

Microsoft CRM customization techniques are very diversified and based on... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Implementation for Large Corporation ? Overview for VP IT

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains was historically designed to serve... Read More

How to Make Own CMS

Every day millions of new web documents emerge on the... Read More

Business Planning Software

Once a business idea is selected, it is highly recommended... Read More

Make 2005 the Year You Save Time!

Today's business world is fast-paced. No matter what it is... Read More

What To Do When Windows Wont Boot

When Windows fails to boot it is normally caused by... Read More

Five Steps to Rapid Development with TierDeveloper 4.0

Follow the steps below to quickly design, generate, and deploy... Read More

Popular Fleet Maintenance Programs

Some companies that are in need of fleet management may... Read More

How To Choose A Fire Wall Software Program

In the real world a "fire wall" is a fireproof... Read More

Crystal Reports For Microsoft RMS ? Overview For Developer/Report Designer

If you are software developer or database administrator - we... Read More

Scrap Booking Online: Word Perfect or Corel Graphics Suite?

Scrapbooks are very popular these days. I think that almost... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Upgrade ? Version 8.0 Overview for IT Director/Controller

If you have Microsoft Great Plains as main accounting and... Read More

Groupware: Answers the 5 Questions of Document Collaboration

Every organization which creates collaborative documents, whether they are budgets,... Read More

Great Plains Custom Development: Dexterity, VBA, SQL, Crystal, eConnect ? Overview For Programmer

Microsoft Great Plains is main Microsoft Business Solutions accounting package... Read More

Microsoft CRM Data Import FAQ

Microsoft CRM has built-in conversion tool, however you should probably... Read More

DVD Burning Tips

CD and DVD replication is a process that works by... Read More

Constructionalist Parsing - Deciphering Natural Language

The research in the field of Natural Language Processing usually... Read More

Spyware, What is it?

Spyware, what it is and what it does. Basically, spyware... Read More

History of Java

The java programming language is becoming more and more popular... Read More

Protect Your Computer...and Your Business!

We all take the computer for granted. I mean, all... Read More

Resume Software ? Advantages Revealed

The various resume software offered, particularly on the internet, can... Read More

Guide to Software Marketing

Intro This concise article will tell you in plain English... Read More