Consumers wise up to spyware

Consumers are getting smarter at understanding the threat posed by spyware and have starting using tools to protect their computer, according to a report.

Spyware is software that hides itself on your PC collecting information about you and what you do on the internet.

Webroot Software, which started tracking the growth of spyware on consumer PCs at the start of the year, reports it has scanned around 83.4 million instances of spyware so far this year but said consumers are getting wise to the threat.

Nick Lewis, managing director at Webroot, said: “Spyware remains a serious problem for consumers. The upside is that consumer awareness of the threats posed by spyware is rising. More and more consumers are making educated, proactive choices to protect their computers by utilising anti-spyware tools.”

However, a separate survey recently found that the majority of US computer users don't know how to identify or combat spyware. The findings were published at the launch of the Consumer Spyware Initiative, a joint effort by Dell and the non-profit Internet Education Foundation to increase awareness of spyware.

Click here for our roundup of anti-spyware software.