Internet Security Learning Center

The Plot to Hijack Your Computer

IT-Harvest estimates that spyware accounts for 11 percent of all Internet ad business, but its method of attracting business--by surreptitiously installing advertising programs, which then cause pop-ups to appear on the screen and inhibit, even cripple, the computer's performance--has engendered a great deal of public scorn and triggered a lawsuit by New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer against one spyware company for false advertising, trespassing, and computer tampering. It is feared that spyware and its practitioners could seriously, perhaps irreparably tarnish the online ad industry. Critics charge that the people who run spyware companies--one of the most infamous being Direct Revenue, which Spitzer's lawsuit targets--are greedy opportunists who cynically exploit consumers, as demonstrated by widescale ignorance of consumer complaints. Spitzer says he discovered instances in which Direct Revenue spyware was downloaded with misleading user agreements or a complete lack of disclosure. Though Direct Revenue has made reforms, notably dropping its most devastating spyware programs, as verified by computer security firms and anti-spyware activists, the company is still considered to be the root cause of many irritations. Trend Micro spyware research manager Anthony Arnott reports that Direct Revenue is still rated by the public to be one of the 10 most-despised spyware firms. Savvy consumers can lower the risk of their systems getting infected by spyware by using widely available security software and avoiding online offers of free products.

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