In 2008 spyware removal will be $305 mln industry

From a minor annoyance for home-PC users to a major plight on enterprise environments around the world, SpyWare (also known as AdWare, MalWare, ScumWare, and a host of other sordid names) is infecting mlns of computers with multiple purposes: stealing personal information, enabling identity theft, tracking users' online activity, and selling the information back to anyone willing to pay. According to IDC, the need to identify and eradicate these parasitic programs will drive AntiSpyWare software revenues from $12 mln in 2003 to $305 mln in 2008. A recent IDC survey of over 600 organizations listed SpyWare as the fourth-greatest threat to a company's enterprise network security. IDC estimates that 67% of all computers (mostly consumer) have some form of SpyWare.