Greynet Applications – The problems associated with Greynet application software

What are Greynet Applications?

Greynet applications refer to any type of software product that is unsanctioned and therefore not guaranteed to be a safe and secure download. There has been a significant increase in the number of identity theft cases reported that are a result of information collected from spyware products that are downloaded under the guise of some type of Greynet application. Even if it isn’t something as serious as identity theft, there is still the serious problem of the spread of debilitating viruses that can corrupt and destroy hundreds of thousands of computer networks and systems.

Greynet applications, although not all bad, are problematic for today’s Internet user because in the end, they are costing some enterprises as much as $130,000 every month in order to clean up the mess that they’ve made.

The Problem of Greynet Applications

The main problem associated with Greynet applications is that, for the most part, they are too attractive to be able to get under control. Greynet application categories can include:

• Instant messaging services such as Yahoo, AOL and MSN.
• Web browsers such as Internet Explorer that have seen a notable increase in the number of spyware / adware products specifically targeting this popular browser option.
• Peer-to-peer services that include popular products such as LimeWire, KaZaa and Bitorrent. (This is the type of service that is too popular to get people to stop using. Being able to download all sorts of media products for free. It is only natural that spyware and adware creators would target such an obvious market.)
• Peer-to-peer collaboration services such as WebEx and Placeware.
• Proxy services such as Tor and Ghostsurf.

Greynet applications allow producers of spyware and viruses to take advantage of the willingness of computer users to risk a compromise of the integrity of their system so as to download a given piece of free software. 

Scary Statistics Relevant to Greynet Applications

A recent survey conducted by FaceTime Communications (A company that actively sells software security products for enterprise IM networks) was conducted over the course of a 3-month period and included 622 IT managers and 564 end users. The users were taken from small, medium and large businesses and had some of the following findings:

• Spyware and adware problems associated with the usage of Greynet applications is costing some enterprises as much as $130,000 / month to clean up.
• Over the course of the next six months, almost every end user will deploy some type of Greynet application on their system.
• Approximately 8 out of 10 end users are currently using some type of Greynet application. (The survey expects that this number could rise to as high as 93% over the course of the next six months.)

The problems associated with Greynet applications aren’t going anywhere. The only way to combat the spyware, adware and viruses associated with such unsanctioned software products is by using multiple security features and keeping a diligent watch over your system’s active processes.