Webroot Survey: Companies Neglect Spyware Threat

Corporations are experiencing a steady infiltration of spyware into enterprise networks, but only a small number have deployed an enterprise-class solution to combat the threat, according to a new survey conducted by Equation Research for Webroot Software (www.webroot.com), provider of privacy, protection and performance software.

"Corporations are risking lost productivity and intellectual property to this rapidly growing threat by not deploying a comprehensive, enterprise-strength anti-spyware solution," said Richard Stiennon, Webroot vice president of threat research.

The survey, which canvassed more than 275 IT managers and executives nationwide, found that even as IT organizations spend more time fighting spyware, very few corporations are deploying corporate solutions against the growing threat.

According to the survey, more than 70 percent of corporations have expressed an increased concern with spyware, but less than 10 percent of businesses have implemented commercially available anti-spyware software.

The survey also showed that more than 96 percent felt protected from outside threats using traditional anti-virus and firewall solutions, yet nearly 82 percent report their desktops are currently infected with spyware, with more than a third noticing an increase in spyware infections in the last six months.