"From cdt.org: The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it had brought charges against Odysseus Marketing, publisher of a software product called ClientMan. The Center for Democracy & Technology had first identified ClientMan as one of several troubling programs in a spyware complaint it filed with the FTC in February 2004. The FTC has now filed cases against three of the companies mentioned in the CDT complaint, plus a fourth the FTC found through its own investigation."

"FaceTime today warns users about malicious links being spread through instant messaging (IM) and Internet Relay Chat (IRC) which downloads a rogue, fake Google toolbar and adware on users machines and re-directs users to a page collecting credit card information. This complex phishing scheme which takes advantage of Google's trusted brand, borrows exploits of an application commonly referred to as "CoolWebSearch," although it is still unclear on who is responsible for the scheme."

"Odysseus Marketing and its principal, Walter Rines, advertised software they claimed would allow consumers to engage in peer-to-peer file sharing anonymously... The agency charges that the claims are bogus. First, the software does not make file-sharing anonymous. Second, the cost to consumers is considerable because the "free" software is bundled with spyware called Clientman that secretly downloads dozens of other software programs, degrading consumers' computer performance and memory."

"Government regulators are trying to shut down a company they say secretly downloaded spyware onto the computers of unwitting Internet users, rendering them helpless to a flood of pop-up ads, computer crashes and other annoyances."

"Kaspersky Lab confirmed Tuesday that a potentially serious flaw exists in its antivirus software, but said a fix is on the way. The security software maker said it had offered preliminary protection to customers last week and that a permanent patch will be available on Wednesday."

"Google, MSN and Yahoo are all targeted by a new piece of malware that surreptiously directs traffic to commercial sites..."

"... Technical support exchanges at SpyCop and spyware advertising itself show that commercial spyware is being marketed at a much broader audience, including criminals interested in identity theft."

"... We can't begin to provide full value to advertisers until we address consumers' needs and fears by focusing on the 3 R's: Relevance, Respect and Restraint."

"America Online users will start receiving new anti-spyware tools on Wednesday, the Internet service provider said in a statement."

"If spyware and key-logging software weren't a big enough threat to privacy, researchers have figured out a way to eavesdrop on your computer simply by listening to the clicks and clacks of the keyboard."

"At least two new pieces of surreptitiously installed software can hijack the most popular search engine, placing ads amid legitimate Google search results on infected PCs, a computer security company recently revealed."

"A study by security company Aladdin's eSafe Content Security response Team (CSRT) found that 15 percent of spyware threats successfully copy user's passwords, usernames, hashes of administrator's passwords and email addresses. The analysis of 2,000 known spyware threats shows that there is a growing amount of malware designed for identity theft."

"Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have found a way to turn the clicks and clacks of typing on a computer keyboard into a startlingly accurate transcript of what exactly is being typed. In a paper released last week, the researchers explained how they developed software that could analyze the sound of someone typing on a keyboard for just ten minutes and then piece together as much as 96 percent of what had been typed."

"Search engine Ask Jeeves appears to be having a world of problems with some of its software. Apparently, a number of anti-spyware firms have flagged Jeeves for some of the downloading techniques and distribution channels it chooses for its toolbars and other software."

"Microsoft Corp will soon release a security tool for its internet browser that privacy advocates say could allow the company to track the surfing habits of computer users. Microsoft officials say the company has no intention of doing so. The new feature, which Microsoft will make available as a free download within the next few weeks, is prompting some controversy, as it will inform the company of websites that users are visiting."

"In a continuing effort to clean up its image, advertising software maker 180solutions has updated its products to thwart rogue distribution."

"...You've seen these things, commonly called "EULAs" for end-user license agreements. You can't install anything on your PC without agreeing to them. Maybe you've even read one. Probably not. You probably figure if there were something wrong with them someone would say something. I am. There's something wrong with these EULAs."

"How Yahoo Funds Spyware out now by spyware researcher/activist Ben Edelman looks at how Yahoo ads run in plenty of places beyond Yahoo, including syndication partners he says make use of spyware or adware. It raises again the question of why the major search engines are dragging their feet on letting people pick-and-choose where their ads will run?"

"A flaw in the way that several security programs and systems utilities detect system changes could allow spyware to spread surreptitiously and have renewed worries about stealthier attack code."

"A Canberra tech consultant who feared he had a keylogger on his computer has found that the suspicious activity was caused by the Microsoft Update service."

"Turkish law-enforcement officials have informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation that they've identified 16 more suspects thought to have assisted in the creation of the Zotob bot worm that has plagued IT security staffs for two weeks."

"Perez-Melara created a spyware application that allowed jealous and/or suspicious lovers to monitor everything on their sneaky partner's computer. For just $89, the virus would be sent via email under the guise of an e-card, complete with "puppies and flowers.""

"SAN DIEGO -- The creator and several buyers of a computer program designed to allow jealous lovers to snoop on their sweethearts' online activities have been indicted for allegedly violating federal computer privacy laws."

"A new spyware worm that steals information from players of a popular online game, as well as from Yahoo e-mail users, has been detected by security Latest News about Security authority Sophos, which described the threat as representing a new trend among malware practitioners."

"US, Poland and Holland are blamed for a massive jump in spyware infections this year. A report issued on Wednesday warned the number of spyware Web sites detected has quadrupled since the start of 2005 to over 300,000."

"Panda Software on Wednesday offered up an online spyware scanner with no strings attached. But the tool only detects spyware; it doesn't delete the malicious software."

"Security firm Sunbelt Software said it stumbled across a US-based server storing megabytes of data stolen from compromised computers while researching spyware infections. The server held passwords for online accounts from 50 banks, Ebay and Paypal logins, hundreds of credit card numbers and reams of personal data."

"In the end, the much-feared Zotob worm became more of a localized nuisance than a widespread problem due to the design of the code itself. Mistakes by the coders of the worm in variants caused infected machines to reboot continuously, not giving most machines enough time to spread the worm to other vulnerable PCs."

"The number of reported corporate spyware incidents rocketed by almost 20 per cent between April and June of this year, research published today has claimed... The study found that the number of websites distributing spyware has quadrupled since the beginning of 2005 to an astonishing 300,000 unique URLs"

"IT directors are worried that most of the population have no idea what spyware is, with a sizeable minority believing it is something they have seen in a movie. Some 11 percent of the British population are convinced that spyware is "a gadget from Star Wars", according to research published on Thursday."

"Two new worms are exploiting a flaw that Microsoft patched last week and it appears separate hacking groups are competing to infect machines... The first worm, Zobot C, is similar to the worms that appeared yesterday... The second, Tilebot-F, is spreading much more quickly and downloads spyware as well as a Trojan allowing remote control of the PC."

"A major online advertising company that has been accused by security experts of fueling the spyware problem says it is taking legal action against seven people in six countries who, it claims, used viruses to spread ad software to thousands of computers without their owners' consent."

"... If you share a computer, you should have no expectation of privacy. Your spouse may be able to access information on the computer. Even if it isn't admissible in court, it can work against you. Further, attorney-client privilege may not apply to communications stored on a shared computer, according to several Web sites that track technology and the law."

"A number of "World of Warcraft" players are up in arms over software being used by the game's publisher to scan users' computers for hacks prohibited under its terms of service... Blizzard said that its own scanning of "World of Warcraft" players' computers is different from that of the "Everquest" situation, because Blizzard spells out in the game's end-user license agreement, or EULA, that the company maintains the right to perform such anti-hacking scans"

"Claria's new services will still require a software download "just like the old Claria software," said Ben Edelman, a Harvard University student who specializes in spyware research. "The question is how sneaky they are going to be about it.""

"Advertising.com Inc., a unit of Time Warner Inc.'s America Online, agreed to settle federal charges that the company offered free security software without adequately disclosing that it also came with adware. Under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, Advertising.com will be required to "clearly and prominently" disclose that consumers who install the program, SpyBlast, will receive pop-up ads based on their Internet browsing habits."

"Spyware is public enemy number one. Web advertising networks are strongly lobbying to make sure that the anti-Spyware bill known as the Spy Act is watered down a bit before passage (Bill H.R. 29). These tenacious Washington insiders are concerned that the law as written could restrict their ability to do their job %96 that is, to infiltrate corporate computer networks, to reduce employee productivity and to slow down corporate networks."

"The FDIC on Friday urged banks to enhance their protections against spyware, to limit the risk that customers' personal data may be stolen. The guidance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. comes amid a growing stream of reported incidents of the theft or exposure of personal customer data."

"The Spyware lab at SaferSurf established that there is a high security risk when installing Elite Toolbar. Tests have revealed that the Spyware not only sends the postal and email addresses of unsuspecting users to third parties but it is also involved in credit card theft. The Trojan Elite Toolbar, EliteBar for short, is a browser hijacker that inserts itself into Internet Explorer, pretending to be a search bar for a search engine."

"Microsoft has released an enhanced version of its anti-spyware product as it continues to work on version two of the application, which is due in beta form later this year. The company is continuing to work with numerous groups to find ways to improve Micrsoft AntiSpyware, which was released in beta in January, and now has ways of "guarding over 50 ways that spyware can enter" a PC. According to reports in the security community, these latest updates focus on ways to combat "rootkits"."

"The next e-mail greeting card you get may come with a nasty surprise. According to Internet security vendor SurfControl PLC, attackers are increasingly using fake e-mail greeting cards as a way of getting malicious software installed on computers."

"... The real problem is that anti-spyware products are vulnerable to litigation. A virus is a virus, but spyware is not so simple. On its web site, Claria complains about "faulty consumer anti-spyware software programs that do not honour basic principles of transparency and informed consumer consent". That is little comfort to spyware victims, but arguable in court."

"Legendary technology columnist Walt Mossberg claims in a recent column that if someone's TV reported information back to a company to use or sell for advertising purposes, without that person's knowledge, they would be outraged... But that TV outrage may not be as pronounced as one might think. TiVo, the digital video recording service, has been collecting viewing information for some time. Users of TiVo Basic cannot opt out of that collection, but Plus users can by making a phone call."

"Add personal computers to the list of throwaways in the disposable society. On a recent Sunday morning when Lew Tucker's Dell desktop computer was overrun by spyware and adware - stealth software that delivers intrusive advertising messages and even gathers data from the user's machine - he did not simply get rid of the offending programs. He threw out the whole computer."

"Dell has rejected allegations that its PCs come pre-loaded with an intrusive application that spies on users' surfing habits. The equipment manufacturer said there was nothing untoward about My Way Search Assistant despite complaints from customers that the toolbar impares computer performance, changes browser settings and is difficult to remove."

"Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said that he couldn't define obscenity, but that he knew it when he saw it. The same has long been the case with spyware. It's not easy to define, but most people know it when parasitic programs suck up resources on their computer and clog their browsers with pop-up ads."

"About nine months ago, newly hired WhenU CEO Bill Day decided he was going to clean up his company's reputation. WhenU, a 5-year-old, so-called adware company that makes its money by selling targeted advertising delivered to PCs via software that's sometimes unknowingly downloaded by Web surfers, was becoming persona non grata with Web surfers tired of unsolicited pop-up ads."

"Don't look now, but the adware industry is trying to shed its pariah status -- the lowly image it has among not only consumers and privacy advocates, but also some investors."

"The beta version of Microsoft AntiSpyware previously recommended that users quarantine several products from Claria, but this changed last week. According to a statement published by Microsoft, the downgrade in threat level merely represents an effort to be "fair and consistent with how Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) handles similar software from other vendors." The news comes at a sensitive time, as Microsoft is reportedly in acquisition talks with Claria."

""People are used to antivirus programs where everything is black and white. Spyware and adware fall more into a gray area," said Kraig Lane, Symantec's product manager. Symantec's new Norton Internet Security AntiSpyware Edition labels some adware "low risk" and recommends that users leave it alone, instead of deleting it."