How To Keep Spyware Off Your Enterprise Network

Spyware is challenging spam and viruses for the top spot on IT worry lists. Spyware poses considerable threats and risks to enterprise networks and remediation and countermeasures are now being regarded as critical to network security.

How Spyware Threatens Enterprises
Spyware is defined as covertly installed software that hijacks web browsers, invades Internet user privacy, displays unsolicited and offensive advertising, and impedes PC performance.

		Special Report: Putting Spyware In Front Of The Firing Squad Spyware is emerging as the biggest threat to privacy and productivity on the Internet. In a package of articles, we show you how to identify it, get it off your indivudal PC or enterprise network, and policies and technologies for keeping it off.

The most commonly cited spyware issues worrying enterprise IT staff are loss of productivity and increased helpdesk costs; liability associated with privacy violations; intellectual property theft, information and premature disclosure; and loss of credibility and damage to brand.

This example illustrates how rapidly spyware-induced productivity loss and helpdesk costs can accumulate: A user installs a free toolbar and web accelerator, and inadvertently installs spyware embedded in these freebies. The particular pests he has installed prove to be >removal resistant: attempts to remove the pests damage critical operating system files, such as the Windows Registry, dynamic link libraries, and TCP/IP configuration files. The spyware render the PC inoperable.