92 per cent of IT managers believe spyware has hit them

Ninety-two per cent of IT managers in firms with more than 100 emplyees reported the fact, according to research from internet management firm Websense. Respondents also said while 29 per cent of corporate PCs had been infected with spyware, only six per cent of employees thought they had ever visited any web sites at work that contain spyware.

"One of the largest challenges associated with spyware for organisations is actually identifying the type and potential impact of the spyware," said Geoff Haggart, vice president for Websense, Europe.

One-third of employees said they were unsure that computers could be infected with spyware. But forty percent of IT management believed that the number of spyware infected workstations at their organisation had increased

A spokesperson from Websense said there was a major discrepancy between employees' knowledge and understanding of spyware versus IT managements' findings on the number of corporate workstations that are actually infected.