SPYWARE: A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS A WONDERFUL THING

摘要

With the increased dependence on networks and the near ubiquitous availability of the Internet, there is a new paradigm in place for the proliferation of spyware, viruses, and other malware. In fact, much attention has been given to spyware in popular literature with reports from multiple sources indicating that spyware has perhaps reached 90% home user PCs. There is reason to believe this penetration is also high for PCs used in business, government, and academia. This broad reach is not only disturbing, but also perplexing as spyware is relatively new and the knowledge of spyware has been reported in the Wall Street Journal, PC Magazine, ComputerWorld, and many other media sources in the last few years. Hence, we have a 90% infection rate from a relatively new type of malware, and far too little is known about this threat.