Spyware Has Your Network's Number

Think spyware only targets consumers?

Think again.

Enterprise networks and enterprises, even more than home users, suffer from the effects of spyware, software that hijacks home pages and search pages, spies on your Internet activities, displays swarms of popup ads as well as unsolicited and offensive advertising, and slows down your PC.

The dangers to corporate networks and businesses are many. Productivity can plummet. Helpdesk costs and support costs can skyrocket.

Those are the obvious costs, but there are others as well. Spyware can clog network bandwidth, so it could lead to overall network slowdown, and possibly the purchase of additional, but unneeded, bandwidth.An even bigger danger, though, is that spyware may download other malware onto people's computers, such as Trojans, backdoors, and keyloggers. This software can wreak havoc on a network and corporation. It can allow hackers and intruders to steal personal and corporate data, and take control of a network.

So it's time that network administrators start taking spyware as seriously as they treat viruses and intruders. Anti-virus software typically doesn't protect against spyware, so they need to take a look at the anti-spyware tools out there that provide active spyware protection, such as Webroot Spy Sweeper, eTrust Pest Patrol, and the beta of Microsoft AntiSpyware.

To do any less is to put the corporate network, and the corporation itself, at risk.