Trend Micro Study Reveals Spyware Encounters Are Increasing at Work
October 11 2005 - 2:56PM
PR Newswire (US)
Awareness is high, but lack of knowledge and bolder end-user
behavior heighten urgency around greater Internet security and
education CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Trend Micro, Inc. (NASDAQ:TMIC)(TSE:4704), a leader in antivirus
and Internet content security, today announced key findings from a
study that reveals that more than 87 percent of corporate end users
are aware of spyware, and yet 53 percent of survey respondents
demand greater education from IT to better understand the threat.
The findings indicate that awareness does not translate to
knowledge, and as a result users are looking to their IT
departments to play a more protective role. The study, which
involved 1,200 end users from organizations ranging from large
multi-national corporations to small single-office businesses, was
conducted in the United States, Germany, and Japan. It revealed
several findings pertaining to end-user perceptions and behavior in
the workplace, and many involved the growing problem of spyware.
According to the study, encounters with spyware are growing,
especially in small- and medium-sized businesses. Results revealed
that spyware's prominence appears to be greatest in the United
States, where 40 percent of end users surveyed have encountered
spyware at work, as compared to 14 percent in Japan and 23 percent
in Germany. In all three countries, end users from SMB
organizations reported a greater number of encounters than larger
enterprises. Similarly, U.S. end users are five times more likely
to fall victim than their German and Japanese counterparts. For
businesses with IT organizations, nearly 40 percent of respondents
in the United States felt their IT departments could do more to
help protect them against spyware. The U.S. findings support the
fact that spyware poses a significant threat globally. For example,
in Japan, corporate end users believe that their spyware protection
is insufficient, with two out of three small- and medium-sized
business workers and one out of two enterprise workers identifying
this concern. However, of those respondents who encounter spyware
at work, only 45 percent believed they had actually fallen victim.
This reveals a striking distinction between end-user awareness of
the spyware threat and whether corporate end users are
knowledgeable enough to identify spyware infiltration, which quite
often occurs without end users knowing it. Because of the broad
awareness and relative lack of knowledge, many respondents expect
IT departments to provide further education in addition to
protection. This was especially the case in Japan, where 64 percent
felt that their IT departments could do more to educate them about
spyware. Similar figures resulted in the United States (52%) and
Germany (45%). In the midst of this call for education, one of the
most troubling findings was the admission from many respondents
that they are more likely to engage in risky online behavior if
they have an IT department for support. "The challenge of
maintaining security for businesses is compounded by the tendency
of end users to engage in riskier computer activities while at
work," said Ed English, Trend Micro vice president and chief
technologist, anti- spyware. "Spyware is a security issue that has
now come of age, and while end users may question the effectiveness
of anti-spyware solutions deployed by their IT departments, they
also admit to relying heavily on IT for protection -- and many
appear willing to ignore their personal responsibility of staying
aware and protected through sensible online behavior." Given the
growing complexity of corporate security needs and the evolving
security landscape, English added that companies need multi-layered
security strategies, with antivirus and content security that
protects the corporate computing environment from spyware and other
"blended" threats. This layered defense -- from gateways and
servers to desktops and mobile devices - can thwart threats from
outside a business' borders as well as those resulting from bolder
behavioral tendencies within the organization. Even if users do
behave in a bolder manner online, a multi-layered strategy provides
multiple lines of defense, helping to protect sensitive data and
control any impact to bandwidth and productivity. "With the growing
threat of spyware, IT needs to ensure that its users have a
thorough education on how to protect themselves while ensuring
their organizations are protected by proven, reliable, and
responsive anti-spyware solutions," English said. "That education
should serve as an enabler of more protection among end users, not
just IT." Other noteworthy findings involving spyware include: *
Viruses and Spyware are perceived as being more serious threats to
corporate security than spam. * 26% American SMB workers, and 21%
American enterprise workers stated that they had fallen victim to
spyware while at work. * Only 7 percent of SMB workers surveyed in
Japan and Germany were aware of falling victim to spyware,
highlighting the contrasting relationship between awareness of the
problem and knowledge of its presence or impact. * Among U.S. based
respondents, the top five consequences of being victimized by
spyware were lower computer performance, loss of productivity, loss
of connection bandwidth, malicious downloads, and violation of
privacy. Survey Methodology: The survey was conducted online in
July 2005. More than 1,200 corporate end users from business
organizations in the United States, Germany, and Japan responded to
the survey. About Trend Micro, Inc. Trend Micro, Inc. is a leader
in network antivirus and Internet content security software and
services. The Tokyo-based corporation has business units worldwide.
Trend Micro products are sold through corporate and value-added
resellers and managed service providers. For additional information
and evaluation copies of all Trend Micro products, visit our Web
site, http://www.trendmicro.com/ NOTE: Trend Micro, and the t-ball
logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Trend Micro
Incorporated. All other company or product names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks of their owners. DATASOURCE: Trend Micro,
Inc. CONTACT: Mike Haro, Manager of Public Relations of Trend
Micro, Inc., +1-408-850-1069, or Web site:
http://www.trendmicro.com/
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