Excluding cookies, which are not such a serious problem as key logger programs or Trojan horses, more than 55% of corporate PCs contained unwanted programs. There were an average of 7.2 non-cookie infections per PC.

System monitors (key logger programs) were found in 7% cent of consumer and enterprise PCs scanned by Webroot's software. In Q4 2004 there were 19%. Trojan horse programs were found on 19% of consumer PCs and 7% of enterprise PCs, same figures as in Q4 2004.

This year's State of Spyware Report data come from Webroot's SpyAudit results and from online research made by Phileas, Webroot's automated spyware research system. Phileas has identified 4,294 sites (with almost 90,000 pages) containing some form of spyware.

This report for first quarter of 2005 entirely confirmed concept that had become as clear as day in 2004 -- from being not much more than a nuisance for PC users, spyware turned into one of major threats to information security.

Since Internet has become a part of daily life and business, rapid growth of such kinds of cybercrime as identity theft and phishing endanger whole society. Some types of spyware, namely software capable of stealing passwords, SSNs and other valuable information (keyloggers and keylogger-containing malware), certainly facilitate these crimes.

The complete report for Q1 2005 is available at http://www.webroot.com/stateofspyware (Registration is required) In future an updated version of Webroot's State of Spyware Report will be released at end of each quarter. Keep an eye on news!

Thus, providing legal music online is a means of industry trying to position itself to take advantage of rising trend of portable music collections. A quick glance across major online music stores tells us exactly so. While offering free-riders affordable music (allowing them to purchase only tracks they like instead of forcing them to buy complete album) to ensure that they do not turn to music piracy, sites like eMusic and Apple’s iTunes are backing new trend. iTunes, Apple’s online music store, has added distinction of being supported by perhaps best mp3 player in business, iPod. In this combination, Apple has found a very secure marketing brand and ensured that it takes full advantage of this cross between technology and music.

Legal music downloads appear to be perfect answer to stopping music piracy, at least downloading kind. Therefore there is no surprise when one sees major record labels pushing to expand such services. However, recent developments tend to make us question what overall agenda really is. After a period of consolidation of digital music market in last two years, albums available for download online are being priced higher than they would normally be in retail stores. It used to be that you could download a song for $0.99 and a complete album for $9.99, but now stores are setting higher prices, with tracks going for $1.50 or even $2.49 and $11.50 albums being sold for $12.50 and $13.00 online. What is going on? In positioning themselves to take advantage of changing market forces, music industry has also hit upon another major factor in determining sales: consumer behavior. Legal music downloads offer people like me comfort of never having to waste time in retail stores looking for my favorite track from high-school days or wondering when latest album of Nickelback would hit shelves. Instead, all hassles are removed with everything easily searchable, previewable and downloadable from comfort of my computer chair (and this baby is very, very, comfortable). Consumers may not be usually rational, but they are always looking to save effort when it comes to making any sort of purchases. Online stores (or is it major recording labels? Who knows…) are now cashing into this very aspect of human psychology and are beginning to charge extra for a service they are portraying now as a privilege. Having already consolidated their core target market, time has now come to increase revenues.

Would this drive people back towards music piracy? Highly unlikely. People are not evil, or criminal, by nature. Appeals to their better nature usually work, and that is strategy adopted by agencies like Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) who are actively involved in putting a stop to illegal music sharing. Media campaigns encouraging music lovers to pay a dollar or two for tracks instead of ‘committing a crime’ by downloading them for free are actually working as slowly but surely, more and more people flock to online music stores. And with existing customers sticking to this more ‘comfortable’ way of buying music, industry is finally starting to win back ground it lost due to music piracy.

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