The spyware threat to enterprise security will increase over the next few years without an enterprise-class tool to prevent it, consulting firm META Group warns.

Spyware has both good and bad properties that make it difficult for traditional antivirus software to identify and clean up, leaving only a handful of consumer and emerging corporate solutions to combat the problem. And that's pretty risky too.

Some of these products simply do not provide proven, reliable anti-spyware protection. Others may use deceptive sales tactics and false positives to scare up sales from confused users. Few of these products are either associated with known distributors of spyware/adware.

For instance: eAcceleration/Veloz Stop-Sign is accused of carrying "deceptive advertising" for sites related to CoolWebSearch, one of the worst trojans around. NoSpyX promises a free scanner, but then demands purchase. Others are known to have stolen databases from other anti-spyware vendors.

At the moment, META Group says, there is still no "silver bullet" enterprise-class tool to protect against spyware, so the IT world must address the problem through a combination of policies, procedures, and products until more complete enterprise-class solutions become available.

META Group believes antivirus vendors are in the best position to provide extended threat protection once they enable clean-up tools, and provide a more complete signature database of spyware threats. ®

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