Date:22/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/05/22/stories/2006052200660200.htm

Back Keylogger emerges as major threat to enterprises

L.N. Revathy

Coimbatore , May 21

Websense Inc has called upon Indian IT administrators to be wary of keylogger, a dangerous type of spyware that has the ability to record keystrokes and screen shots and capable of being replayed later to reconstruct a user session, as it is fast emerging as an online threat to Indian enterprises.

The company's IT Decision Maker's survey findings revealed that a keylogger or a hacking tool hit more organisations in 2006, as almost one in five (17 per cent) of organisations have had employees launch a hacking tool or keylogger within their network. The impact is said to have risen from 12 per cent in 2005 to 17 per cent in 2006.

The survey also highlighted a new threat on the horizon - bots. A bot (short for robot) is a software that can be unknowingly installed on an end-user's PC that communicates with a command and control centre.

As this is a relatively new threat to many IT decision-makers, there is some discrepancy on whether or not to filter bot traffic.

It maps changes in the IT security landscape over the last 12 months. While spyware within the enterprise continues to be a problem, the threat of phishing remains constant, with hackers adopting new deception techniques to lure Internet users.

According to the 2006 results, a majority of IT decision-makers expressed confidence in anti-virus software in spite of being attacked by Web-based viruses such as Toopher, Scob, Sober, and Netsky worm.