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Spyware is everywhere,
but there is hope

IT SEEMS as though you can't swing a dead cat without hitting another article about spyware, malware, adware or any of its relatives. The fact of the matter, however, is that the most appropriate term we can use for spyware is "every-ware."

Simply put, spyware is everywhere. Even seemingly benign Web sites add these parasites to your computer. Further, while spyware started out as a rather benign phenomenon, focusing on tracking user Web-surfing habits, its derivatives have become more malicious and some have taken on virus-like characteristics.

For example, once spyware infects a single network-attached computer, it can propagate itself to other machines on the network.

Recently, cases of entire networks being crippled by spyware have been reported, both here in Hawaii and on the mainland. These networks range in size from very small (less than 20 work stations) to very large (thousands of work stations). Business owners and executives cringe at the loss of productivity during such outages.

Spyware has become so prevalent, anytime we get a report of a failed computer or network, our first thought is spyware. The network is slow? Spyware. Software acts "funny?" Spyware. Can't access the Internet? Spyware. Unfortunately, more often than not, our first hunch has proved correct.

What can be done to minimize the impact of spyware? Certainly, increased user awareness is a key component of any strategy. This alone, however, is no longer enough.

For large networks, a centralized installation and update of anti-spyware software is required. Like its anti-virus cousin, this should prevent the installation of spyware, and detect and remove spyware that's already been installed. Unfortunately, these are few and far between.

Symantec's Norton Internet Security suite is notoriously poor at spyware prevention. McAfee recently released its Anti-Spyware Enterprise Edition Module, but it's so new the jury is still out. Webroot's Spy Sweeper Enterprise has received some good reviews, and we've been impressed with its detection and prevention capabilities.

For smaller networks, solutions like Lavasoft's Ad-aware, Spybot S&D PestPatrol, and Spy Sweeper are still your best choices. A Google search will easily turn up download sites for all of these packages.

Another solution that is becoming more popular is to avoid using Microsoft's Internet Explorer to surf the Web. Since most spyware is built to take advantage of Explorer's weaknesses, alternative browsers, such as Firefox, keep the spyware out.

Finally, for Windows users, ensure that all of your security patches are up to date. This is easily performed on an individual basis for small networks. Larger networks may require the implementation of a "patch management system" which allows for centralized update and application of patches across the network.

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