Anti spyware vendor McAfee Inc., the leader in Intrusion Prevention and Security Risk Manager offers free trials which are designed to raise awareness of the growing threat of computer spyware.
Antispyware vendor, McAfee, Inc., the leader in Intrusion Prevention and Security Risk Management, today announces the beginning of McAfee Stop Spyware Week, a global initiative that is designed to raise awareness of the threats posed by spyware and other potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) to consumers, small businesses and the enterprise market.
In a study conducted by the National Cyber Security Alliance, 53 percent of respondents said they had spyware on their computers, but when checked 80 percent of computers were infected with spyware. Separate research by the Ponemon Institute found that 42 percent of computer users infected with spyware had no idea how it landed on their computer.
In addition to raising awareness of spyware and PUPs, the initiative will educate people about the threats of PUPs and provide tips for avoiding potential infections. McAfee AntiSpyware 2006 detects and removes identified PUPs, such as spyware, Trojans, dialers or other programs that jeopardize privacy, identity and reduce computer performance.
While the dangers of viruses, Trojans and spam are all fairly well known, spyware remains a confusing concept for many computer users. Spyware is designed to monitor computer usage and the browsing habits of a user. This includes, but is not limited to, monitoring keystrokes, tracking Internet history and uploading confidential information. In many cases, PUPs are downloaded to a computer without the user’s knowledge simply as a result of visiting a Web site or installing free software.
During the past year, the number of PUP threats has grown dramatically, and it now ranks as one of the biggest IT security
threats. According to analyst IDC’s 2005 Enterprise Security Survey, spyware is now considered to be the second-greatest threat to enterprise network security. IDC believes more than three-quarters of all corporate machines are infected with various forms of spyware.
On December 1, at 11:00 am EST, McAfee will host a live one hour webcast with IDC titled, “Reducing the Business Risks Associated with Spyware and Other Unwanted Programs.” As part of this presentation, small to large businesses will learn about the business risks associated with spyware and other PUPs that often times find themselves on end users’ systems and cause an increase in security risk, loss of confidential/private information and a decrease in end user productivity. Attendees will also learn how these programs work and the best practices that prevent these programs from infecting their enterprise.
