Instant Messaging (IM)
Instant messaging rivals e-mail as the most popular form of online communication. IM allows users to relay messages to each other in real time for a "conversation" between two or more people. IM is also becoming the quickest new threat to network security. Because many IM systems have been slow to add security features, hackers have found IM a useful means of spreading viruses, spyware, phishing scams, and a wide variety of worms. Typically, these threats have infiltrated systems through attachments or contaminated messages