Spyware purveyors are developing and deploying new tactics to deliver infectious malware to corporate PC’s faster than IT executives can enlist solutions to block them.
And most of the malicious code is coming from within United States, according to a study released today.
Spurred by the increasing potential for big profits, spyware developers are successfully pushing new tactics at rates that are overwhelming many businesses, according to the “State of Spyware” report issued today by Colorado-based anti-spyware software developer, Webroot Software.
The report shows a 19 percent increase over last quarter in the number of reported incidents on corporate machines. Most of the attacks are coming from within the U.S., while Poland and the Netherlands are a close second and third, according to the study.
Perhaps most alarming, the report said, is the increasing sophistication of how the spyware makes its way on to corporate PCs, while eluding detection and removal efforts.
“Our research shows that like any business, spyware developers are committed to increasing their profit margins by expanding their distribution channels, utilizing new products and entering new markets,” C. David Moll, CEO of Webroot Software, said in a statement.
“Unlike virus writers who are motivated by personal pride or a desire for notoriety, spyware purveyors are motivated by profit – whether it’s a penny per pop-up or a keylogger that captures valuable account information.”
Although the sophistication of defense is on the rise, and a slew of anti-spyware legislation is winding its way through Congress, the report said spyware creators are fighting hard to maintain a grip on their lucrative business. This often includes employing encryption techniques to elude detection and removal efforts.
Webroot also said the number of Websites distributing spyware quadrupled since the beginning of 2005 to 300,000 unique URLs. And it has seen the number of spyware traces in its spyware definition database double in the same period to over 100,000.
More than 80 percent of consumer and corporate PCs are infected with spyware, according to the report.
