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So how do you prevent pop-ups, hijackings, and “phishing?” The best hope to combat spyware is to minimize your “threat area”—all the ways your firm may be susceptible to spyware intrusions. Minimize your threat area through a combination of technology, policy, and education. Anti-spyware tools originally were designed to work on individual PCs and are currently transitioning into centrally-managed network applications. Until these tools mature, your best bet is stay current on all Windows and Internet Explorer patches, educate your employees on how to avoid spyware, and create policies (and stick to them!) to prevent intrusions. Other options include switching from Internet Explorer to alternative browsers like Firefox, Mozilla, or Safari which are unaffected at this time. We feel that switching browsers, however, is only a short term solution. As the popularity of alternative browsers grow, spyware developers will target them more. Windows XP Service Pack can mitigate spyware intrusions because it adds a firewall at the workstation level, alerts users when installing software, and provides the ability to administer group policies.
Clearly stated and enforced firm policies on the use of the Internet for business-only purposes can significantly reduce your exposure to spyware. Users do not get spyware from common research sites like LEXIS-NEXIS or nytimes.com. Spyware usually comes from peripheral, ad-supported sites that have tenuous business value. Such policies should not be viewed as counter-productive to your employee’s work needs, but are intended to provide a predictable, stable level of service. Limiting access to remain relatively free of spyware is a means of maintaining that standard. Consider the alternative, allowing employees to freely surf the Internet could result in their workstations being crippled by spyware. Then how happy will they be?
If your firm can hold out against spyware using policies and education, reinforcements are coming in the form of a new generation of network applications and appliances. Network applications offer consistency in detection and elimination, increased awareness of intrusion, greater reporting capabilities, and often resolve problems without the end-users’ knowledge. There are network-ready anti-spyware tools currently on the market, but they are largely untested in corporate environments and few perform up to expectations. Some large software makers like Computer Associates have purchased first generation anti-spyware tools and are upgrading them to network applications. There is also the strong possibility that top network security companies like Symantec and Network Associates will include anti-spyware tools in their antivirus suites. Also, in the pipeline are network appliances similar to Firewalls that detect spyware before it reaches the user’s workstation. Many of these products are in their early stages and are not necessarily ready for deployment on your network.
Reinforcements are on the way in the war against spyware. However, while new software and equipment will tip the balance back in user’s favor, the long-term solution includes well-thought-out policies that reduce risk while not completely shutting down access; education; and a new crop of anti-spyware tools and appliances.