The new version detects and removes thousands of pests including spyware, adware, trojans, denial-of-service (DoS) attack agents, as well as other backdoor Web-based threats, the company says.
 
eTrust PestPatrol Anti-Spyware r5 part of CAs eTrust Threat Management software portfolio aims to protect users from a much wider range of threats than popular freeware/shareware tools.

It is backed by the CA Security Advisor (http://ca.com/securityadvisor), which is designed to provide vulnerability and configuration research, around-the-clock monitoring and protection against malicious code, spyware/adware and blended threats.
 
The CA Security Advisor also maintains an extensive online threat database, and provides computer users with free advice on how to delete malicious code and prevent infection, the company adds. 
 
eTrust PestPatrol Anti-Spyware addresses the urgent need for effective protection against the growing range of performance-killing, privacy-robbing malware that afflicts just about everyone who is connected to the Internet and does not take appropriate precautions, says Roger Thompson, director of Malicious Content Research at CA.

This new release provides enterprises, consumers and SMEs with the most comprehensive and effective protection available from this serious and pervasive threat, he adds.
 
Spyware, which has reached epidemic proportions, is broadly defined as any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organisation without their knowledge it slows system responses, disrupts Internet connectivity, and can capture passwords and other keystrokes.
 
Some spyware even installs tools that hackers can use to perform identity theft and make other unauthorised use of victims PCs. In the last month alone, the CA Security Advisor has added more than 1 000 pests to its database.
 
At mid-2004, Gartner clients are seeing a surge in manifestations of 'spyware' invasive methods to steal user privacy that disrupt users and their workstations at home and at work, says Gartner vice-president and research director, John Girard. Clients report that the clean-up effort may take a few hours, but that in no time at all, the same systems are infected again.
 
Comments Henry Peens, eTrust Brand Manager at Computer Associates Africa: By protecting their systems against spyware, companies drastically decrease the risk of unauthorised access, while at the same time eliminating a major cause of bandwidth waste and system degradation. 
 
In support of this latest release, CA Africa will be running a Tech Talk on PestPatrol Anti-Spyware r5, held on 25 November, at its offices in Sunninghill.