Spyware getting nastier, says Aladdin

It says spyware is increasingly used to steal logged-on user names and administrator passwords, as well as tamper with instant messaging and email addresses. Aladdin's study illustrates that a growing amount of spyware is specifically designed for identity theft and continues to compromise both personal and commercial privacy, with potentially dangerous effects for large organizations in need of protecting proprietary information.

The vendor classifies spyware into three clear types:

Severe Threat - 15% of spyware threats send private information gathered from the end user currently logged on to the infected system, logging the user's keystrokes, logged-on user name, hash of administrator passwords, email addresses, contacts, instant messengers login and usage, and more.

Moderate Threat - 25% of spyware sends information gathered from the victim's operating system, including the host name, domain name, and logs all processes running in memory.

Minor Threat - 60% of spyware transmits gathered commercial information about the end user's browsing habits, including keywords used in search engines, browsing habits and ratings of frequently visited websites. µ

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