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Webroot Issues Alarming Spyware Report

Unpleasant news comes this week from Webroot. The anti-spyware services provider reports that it staged a significant counterattack during 2006`s first quarter. This is a drastic rise in the number of adware and other malicious applications. This is the highest number of consumer infections since 2005`s first quarter. According to the report, the first quarter of 2006 saw a 15 percentage point jump in the share of consumer PCs infected with spyware.

?These alarming figures illustrate that spyware is a problem that Internet users are going to be battling for years to come,? said C. David Moll, CEO of Webroot Software. ?Spyware has proven itself as more than a simple ?flash in the pan? security threat. This is a real threat that is financially motivated and will not stop spreading. It is imperative that users protect themselves with a proven anti-spyware solution that offers superior blocking, deploys frequent updates and protects against the most dangerous types of keyloggers, system monitors and Trojans.?

Most surprising ? and perhaps most alarming ? is the dramatic rise in the prevalence of adware during the last quarter. Despite recent litigation and legislation designed specifically to thwart the efforts of unlawful adware vendors, Webroot recorded that the percentage of PCs with adware increased to 59 percent, up from 45 percent in the last quarter of 2005.
?The significant rise in the prevalence of adware should be received as evidence that adware vendors have found new channels of distribution and new infection methods, in spite of the industry?s best efforts to legitimize the practice,? said Moll.