Spy ware increases. The world is not enough

By Nick Farrell: Thursday 17, June, 2004

NEARLY A THIRD of internet connected computers are infected with spyware according to the latest Webroot and EarthLink figures.

The companies' latest monthly audit of 1,483,517 computers found 40,846,089 spyware programs contained on about a third of the machines.

System monitors and Trojan Horses turned up in 60,873 of them, nearly double last month.

There were more than 2,298,200 instances of Adware found (almost double the number of occasions last month) and 8,873,555 advertising cookie installations found.

The higher figures are mostly the result of users downloading gimmick software which is loaded with the stuff, the report says.

Security experts say that such sites should be listed and blocked by stricter network policies. Others suggest that odd flogging with a cat of nine tails as a warning to others would also be helpful. No, not really.

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