Spyware, the sneaky, unwanted bits of junk that lurk in the corners of your hard drive observing your behaviors and slowing down system performance, has become a serious problem in modern computing. A study by prominent security firm Webroot found that 80 percent of business computers are infected with pieces of spyware. It is not uncommon for techs to find dozens of types of spyware on a single system! Some infections become so numerous and severe that the only remedy is a costly system wipe or even complete replacement. What’s worse, most spyware generates bothersome pop-up ads while using the web and more malevolent varieties can even result in identity theft.

For the most part, this pain and expense is unnecessary. While over 80% of businesses install antivirus protection on their systems, only 43% have implemented a credible form of spyware production. Most spyware sneaks onto systems through spam e-mail and questionable websites with flashy banner ads (we’ve all seen “you’re our 1 millionth visitor! Click here to claim your prize!”). After a few years of observing such sneaky tricks, most internet users are too savvy to fall into the traps, but it still happens—mostly during employees’ personal use of internet resources.

If employers want to substantially reduce the impact of spyware on their companies, in addition to blocking spam, they should publish and enforce an acceptable use policy for employee internet access. Two-thirds of large companies actively monitor email and Internet use by their employees, but not many small businesses do. If you find your systems weighed down with the burden of spyware, network security and monitoring packages like those available through Responza can diagnose and cleanse your resources and make sure they stay spy free.

According to Symantec, over 40 million people have fallen victim to “scareware” scams in the past year. Online criminals make millions off these scams, by simply convincing computer users to download fake anti-virus software. Scareware sellers deliberately use pop-up ads that are designed to look legitimate, using the same styles as Microsoft and other software providers. They often appear when a user switches between websites, and falsely warns that the computer’s security has been compromised. If the user clicks on the message, they are directed to another site where they can purchase the fake anti-virus software.
Attorney General Rob McKenna called the practice a “blatant rip-off of consumers,” explaining that users were being “duped into downloading a fake scan (of the computer) and then duped into paying for software they don’t need”.

Software deemed useless by the suite include Scan & Repair, Antivirus 2009, MalwareCore, WinDefender, XPDefender and WinSpywareProtec.

In today’s tight economy, many consumers and businesses are cutting back. But it’s important to recognize that a strong partnership is worth more than saving a few bucks. This story at The Channel Wire perfectly illustrates how important it is to backup data and find a reliable IT service:

My Laptop Hinge Broke, So Geek Squad Replaced My Hard Drive

If you get a call like this, hang up the phone:

The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant.

Give out any of this information and bingo – your identity was just stolen.

The fraud has been reported in 11 states so far.

The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.