Your best line of defense against Spyware is also the simplest solution

Spyware: It's every IT manager's worst nightmare. Indeed, it's their biggest threat for 2005, according to one recent survey. Eli's experts weigh in on how you can best prepare for a Spyware attack -- and how to clean up the mess left in this malware's wake.

Forty percent of executives across the nation call Spyware the single greatest threat to their security systems, according to a poll conducted by IT security company WatchGuard. "That's the beginning of the education program," says Steve Fallin, director of rapid response for Seattle-based WatchGuard.

How To Do It: Explain to your CEOs, CFOs or other management staff that your Web browsers are connected to your internal data systems. Anything you type or view could be recorded and shipped off to someone else, warns Fallin. "If you're a bank, that's a serious problem, because that might be account balances or access to a wire transfer system from moving funds from point A to point B," he warns.

If you don't have an intrusion detection system (IDS) in place at your bank, get one stat. But don't stop there -- it's not enough simply to have an IDS.

What The Auditors Want To See: Federal examiners want you to have a third party test your vulnerability remotely at least once a quarter, notes one network security expert. "It's another pair of eyes looking at your system to make sure you don't have vulnerabilities in your system architecture that can lead to a successful attack," notes Ira Aurit, president and CEO of The Forms Group, based in Scottsdale, AZ.

Your IDS encounters hundreds, if not thousands, of scans each day where hackers look for vulnerabilities in your system. Tip: Don't concern yourself with each individual scan -- focus instead on any persistent attacks that attempt to get through your firewall, notes Aurit. If you do encounter persistent attacks, take note of that IP number and have your firewall block it.

What To Do After An Attack: If you know you've been attacked and there's Spyware freely slithering around your system, Fallin recommends these steps after that initial discovery:

* Determine the level of access this user had.
* Determine, if possible, when the infection took place.
* Figure out what the possible scope of the impact is based on that date and the level of access.