Dangerous Spyware Threats Exceed Predictions for the 2006 Holiday Season

WebKnowHow
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; 07:45 AM

The PC Tools’ Malware Research Center reported today that fraudsters were tracking buyers habits and attempting to steal personal identification and login information as holiday spending increased by 24 percent.

“We saw a major increase in cyber crime this year,” said Michael Greene, Vice President for Product Strategy. “There was an increase of more than 40 percent with major surges in phishing, keylogging, and other direct attempts to steal private information from users.”

“You can expect that this year’s cyber attacks will be even more sophisticated with legitimate sites targeted. Users will again be hijacked to bogus sites in attempts to steal information and money,” Greene said.

This year PC Tools is unveiling several new products including free anti-virus and anti-spyware to help consumers combat these threats, Greene added.

“We are creating more efficient responses to threats as well as helping users with software that does not take up as much RAM to detect and destroy spyware and virus threats,” said Greene, whose company produces award-winning Spyware Doctor⁽¹⁾.

According to comScore Networks, the figures for consumer spending included all sectors except travel. Spending increased in the last two months of the year pushing Internet spending over $100 billion for the first time.

⁽¹⁾ Current awards include: PC Magazine Best Anti-Spyware 2005, Editor’s Choice 2006; Windows XP Magazine, Editor’s Choice; PC Pro Recommended 2006, A List product; PC Answers Editor’s Choice 2006; PC Advisor Gold award 2006; PC User ‘Top Buy’ 2006; Computer Shopper Best Anti-Spyware of 2006.

ABOUT PC TOOLS™

PC Tools is a global security software leader with products including award-winning Spyware Doctor along with effective anti-spyware products. PC Tools is a leader in real-time anti-spyware, security, and utility technologies and has a number of key patents pending. PC Tools security products are available in major retail stores and have been downloaded over 125 million times.

The PC Tools Malware Research Center monitors trends and emerging spyware issues and provides security solutions for the consumer and enterprise marketplace. The malware database is highly integrated with Spyware Doctor's broad range of scanning and real-time system protection tools, making Spyware Doctor one of the most effective anti-spyware products on the market today. The company is headquartered in Sydney, with offices in San Francisco, London, Dublin, Melbourne, and Kiev. PC Tools has a global network of distributors, resellers, and retailers.