Spyware has surpassed viruses and worms to become Network Enemy #1. The reason is that the threat has evolved and blended with other malicious threats to create a very powerful threat to your network. Spyware often contains keystroke logging or rootkit components that allow an attacker to capture usernames, passwords, social security numbers and other confidential data, or to gain complete access and control over systems on your internal network.

Spyware is more than just a nuisance, it poses a threat to organizations by having the ability to:

• Gather private/personal information
• Steal copyrighted or confidential information
• Create irreparable system instability
• Damage or interfere with legitimate applications operation
• Open a backdoor on infected systems
• Allow a spyware operator to take over an infected system