Meanwhile, the spyware threat raised its head again last
week, when a report by Webroot Software suggested it was costing
the UK around £445m a year in lost time, productivity and in
computer repairs. There are as many as 18 “spies” on an average
machine, and only Thailand and the US have higher rates ofinfection.
The High-Tech Crime Unit, British Computer Society, and the
EURIM e-crime sub-group are all behind clamping down on spyware,
and held a meeting in London to discuss the threat it poses. But
talk is cheap, and discussing how awful it is will not help. There
has been plenty of talk about stopping bird flu arriving too, and
trying to stop spyware without an effective, targeted education
campaign is like trying to stop birds migrating.
Spyware will continue to threaten organisations and individuals
because there is a degree of human engineering in its method, which
preys on the gullibility and habits of PC users. Only when
organisations and individuals are sufficiently aware of the
threats, and educated as to how they should combat them, might the
threat begin to diminish.
There is an argument that says the message on PC security has
become tired and worn out, a bit like a TV ad you have seen over
and over again. It is no real surprise, because the message on
hacking and viruses is an old one. What is needed is a radical new
approach, perhaps one to shock, which gets the message home on
spyware, and the potential personal financial catastrophes it can
cause if allowed to run unabated on machines.
We have had a series of pretty unconvincing messages so far on
the threats posed by identity theft. The message on spyware must be
much sharper, targeted, and innovative - and it must work.