- Jan 7, 2002
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Shining a light on shady software
ALLIANCE PLANNING TO IDENTIFY HARMFUL PROGRAMS AND SITES
By Michael Bazeley
Mercury News
A coalition of academics, consumer advocates and technology firms is taking aim at malicious software, launching a site today that it hopes will help protect consumers and place software makers under the harsh glare of scrutiny.
The Stop Badware Coalition said it intends to shine a spotlight on companies that trick Internet users into downloading programs that steal personal information, launch unwanted ads and spread computer viruses.
The effort is being run by Harvard University's Berkman Center and the Oxford Internet Institute, with help from Consumer Reports. Technology companies Google, Lenovo and Sun Microsystems are providing undisclosed funding for the multi-year, multimillion-dollar project.
``I wish we were getting a handle on this problem, but I think it's pretty substantial,'' said Vint Cerf, Google's Internet evangelist, about the malicious software problem. ``There's an uneasy feeling that going online is risky.''
The focal point of the group's efforts will be a Web site at www.stopbadware.org. There, people will be able to learn whether programs they intend to download are potentially harmful.
The group also will publish guidelines that define what the coalition calls ``badware.''
Malicious software comes in many forms and names, from ``spyware,'' which is secretly downloaded to computers and designed to steal personal information, to ``adware,'' downloadable software that can spawn intrusive advertising on a person's computer.
One estimate is that nearly 60 million American adults have some form of malicious software on their computers.
Although some spyware is clearly illegal, the makers of some adware programs defend their products as ethical and above-board.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/13706595.htm
Site
ALLIANCE PLANNING TO IDENTIFY HARMFUL PROGRAMS AND SITES
By Michael Bazeley
Mercury News
A coalition of academics, consumer advocates and technology firms is taking aim at malicious software, launching a site today that it hopes will help protect consumers and place software makers under the harsh glare of scrutiny.
The Stop Badware Coalition said it intends to shine a spotlight on companies that trick Internet users into downloading programs that steal personal information, launch unwanted ads and spread computer viruses.
The effort is being run by Harvard University's Berkman Center and the Oxford Internet Institute, with help from Consumer Reports. Technology companies Google, Lenovo and Sun Microsystems are providing undisclosed funding for the multi-year, multimillion-dollar project.
``I wish we were getting a handle on this problem, but I think it's pretty substantial,'' said Vint Cerf, Google's Internet evangelist, about the malicious software problem. ``There's an uneasy feeling that going online is risky.''
The focal point of the group's efforts will be a Web site at www.stopbadware.org. There, people will be able to learn whether programs they intend to download are potentially harmful.
The group also will publish guidelines that define what the coalition calls ``badware.''
Malicious software comes in many forms and names, from ``spyware,'' which is secretly downloaded to computers and designed to steal personal information, to ``adware,'' downloadable software that can spawn intrusive advertising on a person's computer.
One estimate is that nearly 60 million American adults have some form of malicious software on their computers.
Although some spyware is clearly illegal, the makers of some adware programs defend their products as ethical and above-board.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/13706595.htm
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