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Male surfers feed spyware surge

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6th Jul 2005
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Male office workers are more likely than women to use their PCs in ways that could introduce spyware and other threats to company networks than female employees, according to internet security company SurfControl.

The company, which develops and markets a range of Net filtering products, surveyed 300 office workers to find out how often they used online facilities that are often the source of malicious threats. The survey found that men were found to be more likely to use personal Instant Messaging and Web-based email and were twice as likely to download and swap free video and music files. Where 63% of women claimed never to have used a USB port on their computer, the equivalent figure for men was 34%.

According to SurfControl CEO Steve Purdham, men's enthusiasm for recreational use of office systems could expose their employers to malicious threats unless measures are taken to manage abuse more effectively.

"The real issue here isn't whether men or women are bringing malicious threats onto the network, it's about raising awareness across the board to mitigate the threat posed to all parties and galvanise employers' resolve to deal with the issue," he said.

SurfControl's website includes a series of white papers on security threats and advice on how to protect your organisation from spyware.

  • The Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) has also identified spyware as a growing menace. In the past, FAST has upset small businesses with its enforcement techniques, but it is takeing a more collaborative approach with a new screening service called File Cruncher, which is free to members of its Corporate Services programme. Because it has scanned so many PCs, FAST Corporate Services claims to have assembled a massive database of malware threats. In a beta test in one organisation, the File Cruncher found 600 suspect files on 1,200 PCs. More details at: www.fast.org.uk.
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