Spyware cashes in quietly
Spyware is the most rapidly evolving threat on the threat landscape at the moment, and it will continue this way into 2008, said Gerhard Eschelbeck, chief technology officer of Webroot Software, at RSA Europe in London on 23 October. Spyware is software that covertly gathers information through a user’s internet connection without their knowledge for malicious purposes. “It is financially motivated and it takes advantage of human nature,” said Eschelbeck. Spyware steals system resources, shows unwanted advertisements and re-directs users through false search results and other hijacks.