Spyware is a generic name for malicious software that can take many different forms. Spyware can deliver unrequested advertising (pop-up ads), harvest private information, and monitor user activities. It can also re-route Web requests (for example, to illegally claim commercial site referral fees) or install stealth phone dialers.
“Marshal solutions allow you to check for and stop spyware at the network gateway”.
An unwelcome byproduct of many spyware programs is that they can drastically impair system performance and consume network resources. Spyware programs also usually incorporate design features which make them difficult to remove from a system. The cost to an organization can be high.
Identifying spyware is not always easy because spyware can come bundled with legitimate programs. A growing number of legitimate software titles install secondary programs to collect data or distribute advertisement content, without properly informing the user about the real nature of those programs. Spyware installation programs and license agreements may tell the user what it will do, but this is often hidden in legal jargon. This is the spyware company's escape clause.
Unlike a virus, spyware is usually installed, albeit unwittingly, by the end user. Spyware is often created by legally formed companies with their own development staff. Spyware companies have sometimes threatened defamation or libel action against anti-spyware groups and other companies. This makes the matter of scanning for and removing spyware more difficult.
A number of different types of malicious software are grouped as "spyware". These include:
Programs that are intentionally run by a hacker or malicious programmer, usually on the hacker's computer. These tools can be used to search for security holes in systems and networks.
Applications, running in the background of an innocent user's computer, that record all the user’s keystrokes and deliver this information to a remote location. Key logging can be used for identity theft, and also as a way to obtain security information for later use.
Trojan programs that enable an attacker to remotely control a computer, using a client in the attacker's machine and a server in the victim's machine.
Hidden and unwanted software that runs on a user's machine as an agent of the attacker.
Programs that propagate by attacking other computers and copying code to them. The code then attacks additional computers.
Spyware programmers use a variety of tactics to get the software installed on the target computer. Among the most common methods are:
Spyware poses a number of serious risks for organizations, from both a technical and data privacy perspective:
Marshal solutions allow you to check for and stop spyware at the network gateway - ensuring you can secure your network against spyware intrusion, protect your users and confidential data, and comply with regulations on data privacy.
WebMarshal and MailMarshal SMTP integrate fully with the two market-leading anti-spyware scanners: PestPatrol and CounterSpy. Both products clearly classify potential threats and offer automated updates to respond to evolving threats.
Both scanners are invoked within Marshal's flexible rule-based access policies, putting you in control of how you choose to deal with any reported threats.
Marshal's powerful URLCensor (DNS Blacklist), Marshal Filtering List and third-party filtering list integration (third party URL categorization) also contribute to a full-featured defense against spyware.
