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One Person’s Difficult Lesson In Spyware - What You Can Learn From It

by Elizabeth Elliott Niedringhaus

To fully understand the real danger presented by Spyware, you need only know the story of Steve Bradley.

Steve limited his computer use to email, occasional web-surfing and checking his bank account. One Sunday night after reading his email, Steve decided to search for the name of a song he had heard on the radio. He entered some lyrics into a search engine and received more than 100,000 links to various sites. Steve clicked on the first website on the list. His PC froze for a second, and then his browser closed. He thought nothing of it and restarted his browser. Steve attempted the search again, finding the name of the song this time.

Unbeknownst to Steve, a System Monitor downloader installed itself from the lyric website and started downloading other pieces of malicious software when he re-started his Internet browser.

As Steve browsed the web, the System Monitor downloader installed a Trojan Horse called Rebery, designed to assume total remote control of the computer. The Rebery Trojan remained inactive until Steve checked his bank account before heading to bed. When Steve typed his bank’s web address, the System Monitor Rebery activated its logging feature and logged Steve’s username and password for the account. A few hours later while Steve slept, the System Monitor Rebery connected to an overseas server and uploaded his login information.

Two days later, when Steve logged onto his computer, Rebery’s logging feature was reactivated and captured Steve’s email username and password. Steve again decided to check his bank account and found nearly all of his money gone. Presuming it was a mistake on the part of his bank, he called customer service. He learned the majority of his savings had been transferred to several offshore casino accounts by an unknown thief. Steve was confounded by how this could have happened.

Understanding Spyware

While Steve is a fictional character, his situation is not. Thousands of people around the world have found themselves similarly victimized when Spyware was installed without their knowledge or consent. Spyware impairs control over your privacy or system security; your system resources, including programs installed on computers; and/or your collection, use and distribution of personal or other sensitive information.

In general, Spyware falls into four categories:

1. System Monitors. These capture every keystroke, including credit card numbers, online banking logins and social security numbers, often leading to identity theft.

2. Trojan Horses. Often embedded within free software offered on the Internet, Trojan Horses assume complete remote control of your computer system.

Adware. This form of Spyware slows system performance by using computer resources to download and display advertisements.

3. Tracking Cookies. Cookies allow others to track the websites and web pages you visit.

Spyware is a serious threat to any business. It can result in breaches of confidentiality, destruction of system integrity and availability, and loss of company productivity. Spyware can seriously impact your company’s ability to perform and, ultimately, your bottom line.

Action Steps You Can Take

If your company or personal computers connect to the Internet, it is imperative to have an action plan that recognizes this threat to protecting your proprietary data. It is no small threat, and small businesses are targeted as much as big businesses by automated infiltration programs. In fact, in its “State of Spyware—Q2 2006” report analyzing the impact of Spyware on businesses and consumers, Webroot Software, Inc. found that 89% of computers are infected.

Unfortunately, free Anti-Spyware solutions lack the sophistication to protect against the latest breeds of Spyware. While several good antivirus products are available to provide Spyware scanning, more is required. Four additional steps will help you prevent Spyware infiltration:

Installing a pop-up blocker.

Using a firewall.

Keeping your software updated.

Being selective when downloading software and other programs from the Internet. Be especially wary of free file sharing programs.

It is also advisable to develop a business relationship with a technology partner who can keep you apprised and updated with the latest solutions and protection. Business owner complacency creates an easy port of entry. Take steps today to avoid being a victim.

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