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| Sophos's anti-virus products also protect against
spyware. |
A web poll of more than 1000 business PC users, conducted by
Sophos, has revealed that 95% think anti-virus software should also
protect computers from spyware.
Spyware, a computer program that sends information from a
computer to a third party without the user's permission or
knowledge, is a growing underground industry. Every month, Sophos
analyses about 500 samples of code that attempt to give remote
users unauthorized access to computer data - three times as many
when compared to last year.
Sophos, recently accredited with 100% spyware detection by
West Coast Labs, agrees that anti-virus companies should also
protect users from spyware in one consolidated solution.
"Spyware is absolutely malicious in its intent, and anti-virus
software should protect computer users from it just like any other
malware," said Carole
Theriault, security consultant at Sophos. "Reputable anti-virus
companies already protect their customers from an array of
malicious programs, including keylogging Trojans, botnets,
diallers, worms and viruses. In stealing sensitive data, such as
PINs, financial details and passwords, spyware is just as odious a
malware. No one in their right mind would want this garbage lurking
on their system."
Experts at Sophos have published a white paper explaining how
spyware can be tackled through integrated threat management. The
paper describes how spyware infiltrates and affects organizations,
and how companies can best defend themselves with a consolidated
solution.
Read the white paper now:
In addition to anti-virus software, companies should also
consider educating its employees about exercising caution when
opening attachments and when downloading and installing software;
enforcing a company-wide internet policy to prevent unauthorized
downloads; and installing the latest security patches to address
any known software vulnerabilities.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.