[ISN] DoD Offers Free Anti-Spyware for Personal Use

[InfoSec News]

http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=23639

By Journalist 2nd Class (SW/AW) 
Jennifer Goulart, Naval Network 
Warfare Command Public Affairs
5/13/2006

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) 
has licensed free anti-spyware software for all government employees 
and armed forces personnel for use on personal computer systems.

According to the Federal Trade Commission's Web site at www.ftc.gov, 
Spyware is software that monitors or controls the use of your 
computer. It could send pop-up ads, redirect browsers to certain Web 
sites, or even record your keystrokes. A pop-up ad could even try to 
trick someone into typing in bank account information, leading to 
identity theft. 

Users may also be able to get the software through their respective 
Automated Data Processing offices. 

"ADP can burn the software to a CD for the user to take home," said 
Information Systems Technician 1st Class (SW) Eric Rucker, an 
information security officer for Navy Computer Defense Operations 
Command (NCDOC). "Once the software is downloaded at home, it will 
automatically update periodically. With the amount of people that use 
e-mail and zip drives to bring work home and back, the risk of 
bringing spyware to work is much greater, and that could create 
weakness that may exploit DoD computers." 

Steve Saunders, a Network Security Analysts for the NCDOC, said that 
spyware infection throughout 2005 has become one of the pre-eminent 
security threats to computer systems. He said that spyware is even 
able to masquerade as security software while actually doing damage.

Saunders expressed caution should be exercised when visiting Web sites 
if pop-ups start appearing, or if a user's computer starts showing 
constant or required requests to install browser components and other 
applications. 

"Any offer for free software, or 'upgrades' by big names is another 
thing to watch out for," Saunders said. "The best thing to do is to go 
to a company's registered Web site to get the legitimate downloads 
available."

"Professional analysts have found that survival time of a brand new 
computer, just connected to the Internet, is 18 minutes,”" added 
Saunders. "Out of 6 trillion IP addresses out there, that is like a 
blink of an eye."

To download the free anti-spyware software, go to the DISA Web site at 
https://iase.disa.mil/sdep, or the Navy's Information Assurance Web 
site at https://infosec.navy.mil. At the INFOSEC site, click on the 
COMPUSEC tools tab and scroll down to the anti-spyware link, second 
from the top. The software can then be saved a local hard drive for 
writing on a CD-ROM or other portable media for home use. Users must 
be on a ".mil" workstation to download the software. 

For more information about spyware and other computer security 
threats, go to https://infosec.navy.mil, or call the NCDOC 24/7 
hotline at 1-888-NAVCDOC.

NCDOC is part of NETWARCOM, the Navy's type commander for Information 
Operations, FORCEnet, networks and Space. Based in Norfolk, Va., the 
command is the central operational authority responsible for providing 
ready Information Warfare forces, which are fully trained, properly 
manned, interoperable, well maintained and supported within the Navy. 

For related news, visit the Naval Network Warfare Command Navy 
NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/nnwc/.