SurfControl Joins the Anti-Spyware Coalition29 November 2005
SurfControl (London: SRF), a world leader in enterprise threat protection, today announced its membership in the Anti-Spyware Coalition (ASC). The ASC is an organization consisting of the world's most prominent anti-spyware providers dedicated to protecting enterprises from the growing threat of spyware and malware. SurfControl will collaborate with members of the ASC' to improve the overall understanding about how spyware works and to support the development of more effective anti-spyware tools. Spyware is a classic example of a blended threat that can enter a network through multiple points including e-mail, Web browsing, instant messenger and peer-to-peer networks. Spyware is used for malicious purposes such as identity or intellectual property theft, or to help create and expand botnets used by spammers and cybercriminals. Once in place, spyware can track and record the behavior of users, then send information including passwords, credit card information, confidential data, and online surfing habits back to third parties. Demonstrating the immediacy of the problem, an October 2005 survey by Computerworld found that 79 percent of organizations had been forced to deal with significant spyware problems over the past year and worse, 84 percent indicated they see the spyware problem increasing. "What the Computerworld survey shows is that we've done a great job making people aware of the spyware dangers, but they are still being affected by spyware and most see little on the horizon that will prevent things from getting worse," said Ari Schwartz, Associate Director for the Center for Democracy and Technology. "Defining spyware is an important step in understanding how to defend networks. With the help and expertise of new members such as SurfControl and others, we're in a better position to start moving beyond defining the problem and start helping organizations address it." SurfControl will bring its diverse global threat research capabilities and a proven track record of developing cutting-edge solutions that stop new and emerging Internet threats to the ASC collective. The SurfControl Adaptive Threat Intelligence(TM) Service will support the ASC's efforts to quickly and decisively categorize new programs that are spawning at exponential rates across the Internet. SurfControl will also help to create guidelines and process for combating spyware. Although companies have individually developed numerous effective tools for combating spyware, the overall effort to address the problem has been hampered by a lack of agreement and clarity over how to define spyware. The recent consensus definition of spyware developed by coalition members provides a solid foundation for all of the coalition's future anti-spyware efforts. "The biggest challenge to date in creating effective defenses for spyware has been the lack of understanding regarding the complexity of the issue. We have to more fully define the scope of the problem and understand the nuances of spyware, from the threats it poses to businesses and individuals, to the IT impact of various spyware prevention and clean up methods," said Susan Larson, vice president of Global Threat Analysis & Research at SurfControl. "The ASC has already done a tremendous job in educating the public on the nature and seriousness of the problem. The steps they have taken in defining spyware are the first steps in putting solutions in place to deal with it." About the Anti-Spyware Coalition The ASC is a group dedicated to building a consensus about definitions and best practices in the debate surrounding spyware and other potentially unwanted technologies. Composed of anti-spyware software companies, academics, and consumer groups, the ASC seeks to bring together a diverse array of perspective on the problem of controlling spyware and other potentially unwanted technologies. The ASC website is http://www.antispywarecoalition.org About SurfControl SurfControl plc (LSE: SRF) is a world leading Internet Security company delivering multiple layers of threat protection to shield organizations against complex blended threats. SurfControl's Enterprise Protection Suite has redefined traditional "filtering" by offering a unified threat management solution that eliminates spam, spyware and phishing attacks, as well as Web and e-mail abuse. The SurfControl Adaptive Threat Intelligence(TM) Service provides continuous and proactive threat detection and protection from emerging threats, known blended threats, and customer-specific threats. Customers avoid significant business downtime that impacts productivity and the bottom line, while limiting legal liability and enforcing regulatory compliance and confidentiality. SurfControl has 14 offices worldwide serving more than 20,000 enterprise customers. For further information and news on SurfControl, visit http://www.surfcontrol.com .
Source: PR Newswire
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