Spyware threat creeps up on PCs

Use of surveillance software to spy on home and business PCs is on the rise, and antivirus software alone offers little defence, security firm Clearswift has warned.

Spyware can be downloaded without the conscious consent of the user, opening the door to unsolicited spam or remote monitoring of a computer's activity.

Pete Simpson, manager of the ThreatLab research facility at Clearswift, dubbed spyware the "phenomenon of the year".

He said: "The main message about spyware is one of awareness. People just don't realise the dangers of some online activities."

Advertising spyware often comes pre-bundled with freeware, such as some peer-to-peer file-sharing software, and monitors a user's surfing habits to target them with banners and pop-up ads.

End-user licence agreements can include tacit permission to install and update spyware without a user's knowledge. And the UK Data Protection Act offers little or no protection if the end-user agreement originates outside the UK.

Surveillance spyware, secretly installed on a PC and used for identity theft and corporate espionage, is specifically designed to steal or monitor information access.

Both advertising and surveillance spyware can send information such as IP addresses, passwords and user names, system specifications and even email addresses to the spyware's controller.

Clearswift said antivirus and firewall programmes are one line of defence, but it warned that even these are by no means infallible.

"Not all antivirus companies detect spyware and, of those that do so, they do not detect all spyware," wrote Simpson in a white paper.

Simpson advised internet users to do more to protect themselves. "Adaware 6 is best for advertising spyware, while Spybox Search and Destroy is a good all-round solution.

"But I would also recommend downloading Zone Alarm for its personal firewall capabilities," he said.