SpectorSoft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| SpectorSoft, Inc. | |
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| Type | Private Company (Google Finance: |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Vero Beach, Florida, USA |
| Key people | Doug Fowler (SpectorSoft President) |
| Industry | Software |
| Products | Computer Monitoring software |
| Employees | 60 |
| Slogan | Automatically Record Everything They Do Online. |
| Website | http://www.spectorsoft.com |
SpectorSoft is a software manufacturer that develops a variety of stealth computer monitoring tools.
Contents |
[edit] Products
Spector Pro —A monitoring application capable of recording virtually all activity on the computer it is installed on.
Spector CNE —Identical to Spector Pro, but includes features aimed at corporate use.
Spector 360 —Includes the features of Spector Pro and Spector CNE, but can create graphs and statistics from the recorded data.
eBlaster -Recording capabilities very similar to Spector Pro with the exception that it can email all activity to a remote location.
Spector for Macintosh - Records activity on Macintosh systems via snapshots, keystrokes, and web site logging.
Spector 2.2 - Identical to the Mac version, but works on Windows based operating systems.
[edit] Controversy & Misuse
Spectorsoft's products are essentially no different from the spyware tools that are used by online thieves. As with those tools, at least one of spectorsoft's products (eBlaster) can be installed as a trojan on a computer from a remote location without the users knowledge or consent[1]. Hence, combining the products with a virus or worm provides ideal tools for online theives, and online predators. The company apparently makes no attempt to kerb such misuses other than a section of text in the product license agreements.
Many spyware databases rate spectorsoft's tools as a 'high risk infection', in the Keylogger and Trojan categories.[2] [3] [4]
The software products utilise rootkits to avoid detection by users, actively combat anti-spyware software by mutating and recreating filenames, registry keys[5].
[edit] History
[edit] 1999
SpectorSoft Corporation released its first computer monitoring software called Spector. Spector basically takes snapshots of activity on the computer. These snapshots may be played back in a similar fashion of a VCR. Additionally, Spector was also capable of recording keystrokes that have been typed on the computer it was installed on. Web site recording came standard with Spector.
The software was created so parents would be able to have an easy to use software that would allow them to quickly see everything that their children did online. To this day SpectorSoft still creates computer monitoring software that in many ways has made them the Industry leader.
Upon the release of Spector, SpectorSoft received high accolades and reviews from major technology websites and mainstream media[citation needed]. Some of these accolades came from well known sources like ;
ZDNET, PC Computing, Time Magazine, CNN, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and countless others.
[edit] 2000
SpectorSoft develops and releases eBlaster. eBlaster was the first remote monitoring software that was capable of monitoring all computer activity and send it to an email address. eBlaster has evolved substantially since then and currently has the ability to record email, chat, websites, peer to peer downloads, keystrokes, blogs, and many other common web surfing activities that are in use today.
Much like Spector, eBlaster has received its fair share of press over the years. eBlaster has been used on major news pieces like NBC Dateline “To catch a Predator Series” and ABC 20/20[citation needed] . In both instances the respective News Piece would enter a chat room and pose as a young child. After a few minutes, the sexual predators were crawling out of the woodwork trying to make a real life encounter happen with what they believed was a child. After a date had been made, the sexual predator would be provided with an address to meet. When they arrived, they would be confronted by the reporter with complete chat transcripts that they had online. The software that they used was eBlaster.
[edit] 2001
SpectorSoft made another addition to their product lineup with the release of Spector Pro. When released Spector Pro was hailed by well known sources like PC Magazine as being the best computer monitoring software available to parents[citation needed]. Spector pro resides locally on the computer it is installed on and has the ability to record many of the same things that we have already discussed (email, snapshots, chat, web sites, P2P downloads, and keystrokes typed). What makes Spector Pro dramatically different than other computer monitoring software is the combination of power and ease of use. It was designed with the concept of great recording capabilities that were simplified and categorized for each one. Meaning if you want to read the sent and received email, you click a button and they would be listed in chronological order, the email addresses used ( i.e. Hotmail, Yahoo mail, Myspace Mail, etc..).
This concept was, and is currently still being used for all of the recorder tools within the program. SpectorSoft also was aware that some parents were definitely looking for computer monitoring software, but also wanted to have an “all in one” monitoring and filtering tool. While SpectorSoft’s primary goal was and still is to provide an effective and powerful computer tracking software, they also began to include manual blocking capabilities like, chat and instant message blocking, web site blocking, port blocking, or Internet access blocking all together. To date, Spector Pro has become the most widely used computer monitoring software for Parents that need to keep an eye on their kids Internet and computer activity. Spector Pro is also the only computer monitoring software that has been named by PC Magazine’ Editor’s Choice each time they reviewed monitoring software for parents (2002 [6] and 2004 [7] ).
[edit] 2003
Another significant year for SpectorSoft as they released two more products to their line of monitoring software. Spector for Macintosh was and still is the only monitoring software for Macintosh users. Spector for Macintosh works on OS9 and OSX and is similar to the Windows version of Spector classic. This allowed SpectorSoft to increase their reach to an often forgotten group of computer users in the world of software compatibility. Now Mac users can monitor the activity that is common on the Internet.
Also in 2003, SpectorSoft releases Spector CNE. Spector CNE is the first computer monitoring software that SpectorSoft designed to completely cater to business demands. With recording capabilities similar to Spector Pro, Spector CNE took it a step further allowing installation, on the fly configuration, and deployment capabilities for a centralized location. Obviously this would allow IT administrators to quickly implement a monitoring solution on a large scale from one place, thus saving the time of actually having to physically access the computers to install the software.
All of the recorded activity may be stored locally, or on a server (I have read in their FAQ that a simple laptop or a normal computer would suffice as a server). Because SpectorSoft understood that packets of information would be moving across the intranet of the company that used it, they had made certain that Spector CNE would have no impact on network resources. To this day many companies have claimed that Spector CNE has saved their company thousands of dollars because they are able to have a reliable monitoring solution that keeps track of all employee activity. Having the ability to increase employee computer performance can be a very beneficial return of investment. Other companies use Spector CNE for SEC Compliance, HIPAA Compliance, Help Desk recovery assistance to locate root cause issues, identifying confidential data leaks from within, and to conduct routine employee investigations.
[edit] 2004
SpectorSoft entered the INC 500 list as one of Americas Fastest Growing companies [8]. SpectorSoft was Ranked 224th in the list. To be a part of the INC 500 list is very difficult to achieve as thousands and thousands of companies strive to be included. The annual growth rate for SpectorSoft in 2004 averaged 163% from the year 2000.
[edit] 2005
Another good year for SpectorSoft as they has their products sold in retail technology giants like, CompUSA, Fry’s Electronics, MicroCenter, and Apple Stores. Again in 2005, Spectorsoft is named by Inc. Magazine as one of America’s 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies [9]. Making the Inc 500 list in two consecutive years is an accomplishment few companies have ever achieved. In 2006 SpectorSoft releases yet another revolutionary[citation needed] computer monitoring software for business’s, Spector 360.
Spector 360 is SpectorSoft’s latest solution for monitoring your employees on a company wide level. Spector 360 records your employees’ web sites visited, emails sent and received, chats and instant messages, keystrokes typed, files transferred, documents printed, applications run and visual detail via snapshots. Some companies may wish to have all of these recordings and be able to create custom charts, reports, and statistics.
[edit] Protection
Earlier versions of the program can be eliminated with standard spyware protection such as SpyDoctor but it can still be a surprisingly stuborn program.
[edit] See also
- Spyware
- Trojan
- Spy software
- Employee monitoring software
- Computer surveillance
- Keystroke logging
- Online_predator
- Privacy laws
[edit] References
- ^ eBlaster remote install instructions. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
- ^ Symantec profile of eBlaster. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
- ^ SpyNoMore profile of eBlaster 5.0. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
- ^ PestPatrol profile of eBlaster. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
- ^ PestPatrol profile of eBlaster. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
- ^ Glass, Brett. "Activity Monitoring - Spector Pro reviewed by PC Magazine", PC Magazine, 2002-01-07. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
- ^ Delaney, Laura. "Monitoring Software- Reviewed by PC Magazine", PC Magazine, 2004-03-08. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
- ^ "Inc 500 2004 (ranked 224)", Inc Magazine, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
- ^ "Inc 500 2005 (ranked 497)", Inc Magazine, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
Bill Wallace, Jamie Fenton. "Analysis: Your PC could be watching you", CNN, 2000-15-11. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
Potter, Ned. "Watching Your Kids Online", ABC News, 2006-07-24. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
Cohen, Adam. "Internet Insecurity (page 6)", Time Magazine, 2001-07-02. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
