Definition of Spyware
Spyware is a form of malicious software that spies on computers and steals
sensitive data. It is different from viruses in the way it launches attacks.
Spyware programs attack in a stealthy, targeted manner to steal information,
whereas traditional viruses attack in an open, mass- propagation fashion to
disable as many computers as possible. Spyware is also different from spam in
its impact on organizations. While spam may be a great nuisance that decreases
the productivity of computer users and consumes system resources, spyware
compromises the confidentiality of sensitive institutional and personal
information.
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Spyware vs Adware
There has been much recent attention on spyware, but spyware remains an
ambiguous term. Too often, when the term spyware is used, it is used to refer to
what is actually adware, a type of advertising display software that is more of
a nuisance than a security threat. As a result of this blurring of spyware and
adware, discussions of the spyware threat often give equal weight to worker
productivity and system performance issues as to information theft. The
implication is that problems caused by adware are at the same level as problems
caused by spyware used by
cybercriminals. CP Secure recognizes that there are several types of
programs that may be classified as spyware, but it holds that some are more
dangerous than others (see figure 1).
To be sure, the daily impact of adware may be more noticeable, but that does
not mean more dangerous varieties of spyware do not exist and cannot attack a
given organization. An organization needs protection against the full spectrum
of spyware, from the most annoying to the most damaging.
The internet gateway is the ideal
place to stop spyware. If spy programs can be stripped out of internet
traffic at the gateway, before they can install themselves on desktop computers,
then the threat of spyware may be substantially reduced.
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