Security giants to team up against spyware
Date: January 31, 2006Source: Red Herring
A group of security vendors teamed up Monday to establish industry standards for identifying spyware and testing methods for eradicating it as there’s growing debate over what actually constitutes this type of malicious software.
McAfee, Symantec, Trend Micro, Cybertrust’s ICSA Labs, and Thompson Cyber Security Labs agreed to create common identification and testing methodologies for spyware mitigation.
Spyware typically refers to malicious software that affects the operation of a computer, usually to help someone else gain information or to push advertising.
The companies want to enable anti-spyware products to be tested based on standardized evaluation criteria, so customers can determine which product will meet their needs. They’re also looking to have common standard samples of spyware that can be used for detection and testing.
Spyware and anti-spyware software have become something of a thorny area, with some vendors of various forms of adware and employee-monitoring software objecting to having their products classified as spyware and being removed by anti-spyware systems.
Add comment
Email to a Friend
