Corporate culture is slow. So slow, in fact, they are just now getting the idea that spyware is a security threat. The following quote from the article sums it up:
The disconnect appears to come from slow realization of the problem and the need to put out fires before trying a comprehensive approach, said Richard Stiennon, vice president of threat research for Webroot.
"Spyware is insidious and has been installing itself for the last two or three years," Stiennon said. "But now it's at a flash point, where IT managers are finding computer systems are crashing, or it takes forever for systems to boot up. And when they investigate the problem, they're finding it's spyware. The first response is to use the first tool you can as a point solution…but because a one-to-one (software) solution is too costly over time, they're beginning to look at pushing out solutions to every desktop."
From my perspective, spyware is one of those things that's easily lumped into the same category with viruses, spam, and other malicious, uninvited code. I don't know why companies have drawn the distinction between viruses and spyware. The only real distinction is in the way each is distributed.
For the longest time, I was sympathetic to the corporate user. Back in the early IT days of Windows, all corporate users wanted to do was have a funny picture on their computer desktop and maybe play Solitaire. The IT guys were jealous that somebody else in the company could actually change things or install other software and it was all right. We are now in a situation where companies are losing money and productivity because a bunch script kiddies have nothing better to do than create new viruses or perfect the spam message. Corporate users are now faced with defending their own PCs because the IT departments are slow to react to new threats.
It all goes back to the insecure nature of PCs and the inability of corporations to take security seriously until it's too late. The only way it will change is when companies realize they can actually save money in the long run by keeping up with the times and locking down their systems to keep the threats at bay.
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Long Way From Home by The Heavy