Spyware
15 per cent of spyware threats are now designed to log keystrokes and steal passwords

Huge surge in ID theft using spyware

Volume of spyware with a criminal intent doubling every month

Nick Booth

A study of the top 2,000 known spyware threats, conducted by security firm Aladdin, has revealed that spying techniques are increasingly being used for ID theft.

Spyware with a criminal intent, the most severe threat, was found to be doubling every month, according to the latest Aladdin eSafe CSRT study.

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The report noted that 15 per cent of spyware threats are now designed to log keystrokes, as well as steal user passwords, logged-on user names, administrator passwords, instant messaging content and email addresses.

The study divided spyware into categories, depending on whether it posed 'minor', 'moderate' or 'severe' threats.

Colin Thompson, a director at Aladdin, told vnunet.com that this is a significant increase on the number of spyware attacks which the company observed two years ago.

"We have been watching the online security threat for two years and we can report a massive increase in criminal intent," he said.

Thompson explained that incidences of planting malicious code on PCs increased among the study group from 500 a month in July to 900 a month in August.

"Criminals are getting a lot more businesslike," he said. "Maybe businesses should too."

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