Sunbelt Software announces September's Top Ten spyware threats; Live stats from leading security solution provider show ISTbar as last month's most prevalent threat.

M2 PRESSWIRE-10 October 2005-Sunbelt System Software: Sunbelt Software announces September's Top Ten spyware threats; Live stats from leading security solution provider show ISTbar as last month's most prevalent threat(C)1994-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:10102005

Worcester, UK Sunbelt System Software, the leading provider of Windows system administration tools and enterprise security solutions, today announced the top ten most prevalent spyware threats for the month of September. The results are based on the 171,720 scans performed by Sunbelt's award-winning anti-spyware solutions CounterSpy and CounterSpy Enterprise.

"Recognising these varied threats is the first step for a user to take in combating them," said Ian Masters, sales director at Sunbelt Software. "We aim to give both consumers and businesses the knowledge and tools they need to ensure online security. The prevalence of ISTbar, a toolbar used for searching pornographic websites that may display pornographic pop-ups and hijack user homepages and internet searches, is particularly worrying."

The top ten most prevalent spyware threats are:

IST.ISTbar 13,899 found 9%

Claria.DashBar 11,716 found 7%

AvenueMedia.DyFuCA 11,620 found 7%

ABetterInternet 8,419 found 5%

IST.SlotchBar 8,398 found 5%

iSearch.DesktopSearch 7,801 found 5%

ABetterInternet.Aurora 7,228 found 5%

WebSearch Toolbar 6,948 found 5%

IST.SideFind 6,566 found 4%

180search Assistant 5,811 found 4%

IST.ISTbar ISTbar is an Internet Explorer Hijacker, which modifies your homepages and searches without a user's consent using an Internet Explorer toolbar. ISTbar is usually installed by ActiveX drive-by download on ISTbar affiliate sites, typically porn sites in the case of the XXXToolbar variant.

The ISTbar downloader is very forceful in persuading the user to install itself, if you refuse the download, a JavaScript alert complains that it won't take no for an answer and opens the download window again. ISTbar also installs other third-party software, which includes advertising.

Claria.DashBar The Dashbar Toolbar changes your browser settings to make Dashbar your default search engine. This means that when you search in the URL Address Bar you will receive Dashbar search results, when you click on the "search" button the browser will open a Dashbar search page, and when you navigate to an internet domain that does not exist, Dashbar will display a page to assist you in finding what you are looking for. DashBar will also change your IE Search Assistant and Auto Search settings.

AvenueMedia.DyFuCa DyFuCA Internet Optimizer is an adware, which also hijacks your browser error page. It opens pop-up windows to display ads from its network sites periodically, also is known to update itself.

ABetterInternet AbetterInternet shows advertisements based on the web pages you view and the web sites you visit. ABetterInternet is a Browser Helper Object that displays advertisements and downloads and installs files.

IST.SlotchBar An adware toolbar program for affiliates to distribute on sites. Affiliates get paid per install of the toolbar. Slotch Bar is part of Integrated Search Technologies Toolbarcash program.

iSearch.DesktopSearch Removes the users access to use Windows Search and replaces it with C:\WINDOWS\isrvs\desktop.exe.

ABetterInternet.Aurora Opens popups on the desktop based on site visit history; may disable or uninstall other software; denies uninstallation.

WebSearch Toolbar WebSearch Toolbar is an Internet Explorer search hijacker. WebSearch Toolbar also known IBIS Toolbar also hijacks Internet Explorer's search URL (CustomizeSearch) to point to res://C:\PROGRA~1\Toolbar\toolbar.dll/sa.

IST.SideFind SideFind installs an adware Internet Explorer browser helper object that installs some extra buttons.

180search Assisstant - 180search Assistant logs the web pages you visit, when you visit them and uploads the data to its servers.

To conduct a technical review of CounterSpy or CounterSpy Enterprise, please contact Dan Purvis or Ellie Shaddick on 01491 873323 or via email on dan.purvis@goode.co.uk or ellie.shaddick@goode.co.uk.

To access real time updates to the top ten spyware threats for time periods varying from the past hour to the past month, please visit http://research.sunbelt-software.com/top10/index.cfm.

About CounterSpy

CounterSpy is designed to be a one-stop solution to the spyware problem, with an extensive database of current spyware threats, that aggressively scans, detects, and removes a broad range of adware, spyware and other malware, while providing real-time prevention to reduce the chance of future spyware infections. With the best spyware database in the industry, CounterSpy delivers one of the highest spyware detection rates in the industry and has received the 2005 Best Buy and World Class Awards from PC World, Editor's Choice Award from Laptop Magazine and a 5-star rating from CNET's Download.com.

About Sunbelt

System Software Established in 1983, Sunbelt System Software is the first and largest provider of 'best-of-breed' Windows system administration tools and enterprise solutions, supplying the tools necessary to support a Windows 2000/2003 corporate infrastructure. As well as being a software developer Sunbelt has a long history of working in partnership with innovative software developers like NSI. Sunbelt System Software produces and distributes leading edge utilities and provides mainframe quality technical support.

Sunbelt System Software has 20 years of experience in supporting mission critical systems for the world's largest corporations who have implemented flexible, powerful, and quality system management tools, easily, rapidly and cost effectively through the guidance of Sunbelt.

Part of the Sunbelt International Group, Sunbelt System Software covers the EMEA and most of the rest of the world, Sunbelt Software Distribution covers the US and Canada.

The Sunbelt group has offices in France, UK, Belgium, Germany, Sweden as well as the USA. Revenues from all operations were more than $35 million in 2004.

For further information on Sunbelt System Software please visit www.sunbelt-software.com.

CONTACT: Dan Purvis/Ellie Shaddick, Goode InternationalTel: +44 (0)149 187 3323e-mail: dan.purvis@goode.co.ukIan Masters, Sunbelt System SoftwareTel: +44 (0)190 574 5711e-mail: ian@sunbelt.co.uk

((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data prepared by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).