The latest threat management report from
antivirus firm Sophos presents a worrying, but not entirely
unexpected, picture on the state of spyware, with companies seeing
a dramatic increase in infections throughout
2005.
Sophos attributes the growing increase in spyware to
the ‘business model’ used by virus writers, which shows financial
gain through long-term infection.
The
globalreportfound spyware rose to 66.4% of all malicious
software threats in November. In January, 54.2% of all threats
included a spyware payload and in the year to date, malware has
demonstrated a 48% increase compared with 2004.
Sophos suggested virus writers are now writing fewer
viruses for their own sake, and are instead turning to malicious
code with a specific purpose. Viruses that include spyware
characteristics and provide backdoor access over and above what a
virus does, offer a saleable commodity that can be ‘rented out’ to
the highest or lowest bidder.
There’s no doubt that spyware will continue to grow
throughout 2006, unless innovative and imaginative ways are found
to counter it.