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You think viruses are a problem? You think spam's a problem? Today's real problem is scumware. That's not to say viruses aren't harmful to computers, it's just that they're so easy to control. I've been running anti-virus software on my computers for a long time, so viruses really don't bother me. As for spam, it's a huge nuisance, but - unless it's carrying some kind of virus and you're not running anti-virus software - it's not a real threat to your computer.
Scumware, however, is a totally different matter. The term covers things such as adware and spyware, but it's more descriptive ... because the people creating these programs are scum.
Have you noticed recently that ads pop up in small browser windows even when you're not surfing the Web? Has your browser's home page somehow been replaced with some kind of search page? When you mistype a URL, or use a URL for a server that's down, does some kind of new search page appear in your browser? Have you noticed various little programs have appeared on your computer recently, perhaps placing new icons on the Windows taskbar's system tray, such as weather monitors or clocks?
These are...