Burst Technology Maintains Its Commitment to Stopping Spyware

Burst Technology Maintains Its Commitment to Stopping Spyware

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla., May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent survey of more than 500 IT managers found that an overwhelming majority ranked spyware among their top three IT priorities for 2005. Eighty-seven percent of participants also believe the spyware problem will get worse before it gets better, according to the survey, which was conducted online last month by TechRepublic, an online resource for IT professionals. The survey also found that 95% of companies report that adware is frequently found within their organization.

The Gartner Group says that more than 25% of help desk time is wasted due to spyware. "The problem is out of hand." Over 90% of those surveyed said they've seen an increase in the amount of spyware on their networks in the past three months.

With the proliferation of spyware and adware, the tech industry has seen a rush to market of new products touted to "stop spyware." Because of what some of these products claim to do, there is much confusion about what exactly spyware is and how machines get infected.

Spyware is malicious code that infects networks by piggybacking on downloads such as music, video and software or auto-installing from certain specific websites, without the users knowledge or permission. Adware is a for- profit kind of spyware that significantly slows down computers and can cause them to crash. Both types of malware are designed to gather and send relevant and sometimes sensitive information back to their host sites.

When spyware first began to surface, the Burst Technology design team recognized that effectively stopping spyware can only happen by maintaining a current and comprehensive database of known spyware and adware sources and then eliminating network access to these sources.

bt-WebFilter from Burst Technology has been designed from the ground up as a Windows server-based content filter that prevents accidental or intentional access to Internet security threats. The software provides continually updated databases for protecting against known spyware as part of a comprehensive database of URLs in 55 categories that contain spyware, adware, keyloggers, inappropriate content and other types of malicious code. This current and comprehensive database gives administrators a powerful weapon for blocking access to current malware as well as the ability to respond to new threats as they surface. "When coupled with bt-LogAnalyzer, the solution expands from a preventive to a proactive role in how an enterprise develops, implements and enforces employee Internet usage policy. bt-LogAnalyzer takes advantage of Microsoft Windows, Exchange and ISA servers' advanced capabilities, providing management with the knowledge to secure their employees and networks," said Kate Barrett, VP of Marketing for Burst Technology. "Ours was the first real enterprise class solution to this growing problem, and it comes with our ongoing commitment to constant vigilance for new and emerging threats," Barrett also said.

More information on spyware and Internet security is available on the Burst Technology website: http://www.burstek.com/

Source: Burst Technology, Inc.



Source: Wired News