Security companies gang up on spyware

Five makers of security software on Monday said they have created guidelines for defining spyware and for testing anti-spyware products.

The companies--McAfee, Symantec, Trend Micro, ICSA Labs and Thompson Cyber Security Labs--say that their guidelines could ultimately result in a standard method that buyers can use to rate and evaluate anti-spyware products.

The software makers are part of a larger organization, called the Anti-Spyware Coalition, which is working to standardize industry terms and technology for battling spyware.

Next on the group's agenda: Defining threat naming conventions, intelligence-sharing best practices, and emergency information distribution guidelines. The group says it will use definitions already created by the Anti-Spyware Coalition.