According to a 2004 survey by America Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance, only half of Internet users surveyed recognized their PCs were infected by spyware, but computer scans found spyware present on more than 80 percent.

	WEEKLY REPORTS Latest Security Updates: Top 10 Threats

Spyware infiltrates your system, watching and recording what you do, without your knowledge, and is loaded on your system in various ways.

Webroot Software recently discovered a new computer program, called 2search, designed to covertly infect your system with spyware by infiltrating your Google search results with entries that look like links to standard Web sites or eBay product auctions. When you click on these entries, you'll be directed to a Web site where spyware is automatically downloaded onto your machine.

Spyware programs range from the less dangerous "cookies" that allow your favorite Web Sites to recognize you when you log on, to the more dangerous "system monitors" that observe where you surf and the passwords you enter. These spyware programs do all of this, undercover.

Information, Protection and Prevention ? Knowledge and Definitions
• Symantec?s 2search definition

• America Online/National Cyber Security Alliance Study

• Webroot Software

• Panda Software?s Spyware Definition

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* Reading: Solutions, Prevention & Remedies
Additional summary information related to a specific type of solution or prevention that you should be considering. Depending upon the week, this section may have:
• Recent Windows security releases from Microsoft
• Recent updates to widely used anti-spyware programs
• Recent updates to widely used anti-virus programs
• Recent updates to other security programs & devices (ex: Firewalls, routers)
• Recent updates to various applications in wide use

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Read: Top Threats
These are viruses that are currently on the watch lists of major anti-virus software companies.

Name
What the threat is called. We use the name given each virus by Panda Software. Sometimes other anti-virus companies give the same threat a different name. Usually they use similar names.

Type
There are different characteristics associated with different types of threats.
• Virus - has the ability to replicate or infect computers or other programs
• Trojan Horse (or Trojan) - appear to be harmless programs when you get them. They unleash their payload when you double-click, open, or execute them.
• Phishing - a Web site or e-maill message posing as another company - usually one you know to fool you into giving the sender personal information.
• Worm - self replicates onto additional disks, computers or networks
• Spyware - installs on your system to collect information about your activity, preferences or interests
• Hoax - false messages sent by e-maill to mislead the recipient
• Backdoors - opens a security hole that allows outsiders to take control of your computer
• Dialer - uses your telephone to dial an outside number - sometimes a number that costs you money when dialed

Affects
Not all viruses affect all types of systems. Some, for example may affect only Windows 98 and 95, but not Windows XP or NT. Others affect all Windows systems, but not Macintosh. In this column, we show you the consumer systems that the threat is known to affect. We don't always include the servers that operate in your company's backroom.

Alert level
The level of awareness that anti-virus vendors suggest you need to have for each threat listed.
For each threat listed, we'll post a corresponding link here, so you can get more information to help you recognize, diagnose, prevent, and repair the problem.