Is Spyware Worse Than Viruses?

from the next-in-a-long-line-of-annoyances dept

What else can we add to the computer annoyance list? First, there were viruses. Then came spam. Then pop up ads. Now, people are saying that spyware may be an even bigger problem - mainly because so few users are aware it exists (or that it's already sitting on their computer). I know that I recently had to clean up some spyware on some relatives' computers, and they had no idea it existed. A new study suggests that over 20 million people have spyware on their computers - and they have no idea - other than noticing that their computers run much slower than they did in the past. Some spyware is nastier than others, but the article even mentions one that automatically lets itself through ZoneAlarm's firewall (one of the more popular ways people block spyware products from working). Some are wondering if there's a way to show that spyware is actually illegal. Either way, I wouldn't be surprised to see folks like Symantec and McAfee start adding anti-spyware products to their catalogs in the near future.

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