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August 2005 - Vol. 48 No. 8

August 2005 issue cover image

Features

Opinion Editorial pointers Aug 1 2005

Editorial Pointers

Spyware—the latest Internet intruder to soar from mere annoyance to sheer menace at record speed—has (over)taken Netizens worldwide. The unprecedented escalation of stealth programs installed on a PC without the user’s consent—indeed, usually without their knowledge—in order to track every digital move carries far more ramifications than the aggravation of slowing PC performance and sparking […]
Architecture and Hardware
News News track Aug 1 2005

News Track

The number of North American organizations expected to try Linux open source software for the first time is dwindling, according to a survey from investment banking firm SG Cowen and Co. The findings note that the number of companies planning to become first-time users of the software has fallen by half in the past year. […]
Computing Applications
Opinion Forum Aug 1 2005

Forum

In "Self-Plagiarism in Computer Science" (Apr. 2005), Christian Collberg and Stephen Kobourov discussed a particular type of ethical misconduct—self-plagiarism—in scientific publication. I agree with the opinion they quoted, that "real plagiarism is much worse (than self-plagiarism)." False citation is another vice; for example, "this is an important problem [1]," but [1] supports no such claim. […]
Computing Applications
Opinion Hot links Aug 1 2005

Top 10 Downloads from ACM’s Digital Library

Communications of the ACM Volume 48, Number 8 (2005), Pages 19-20 Hot links: Top 10 downloads from ACM’s digital library Diane Crawford Table of Contents Tables Back to Top Tables Table. The Top 10 Most Popular Papers from ACM’s Refereed Journals and Conference Proceedings Downloaded in May 2005 Table. The 10 Most Popular Courses at […]
Computing Applications
Research and Advances Spyware Aug 1 2005

Introduction

Anyone who has ever dealt with spyware knows the irritation of lost bandwidth, the frustration of commandeered machine processor cycles, the innumerable pop-up ads and spam trails that result from an infestation. It is indeed a threat to computer security, and yet the sort of maladaptive software application spyware represents is supported by just the sort of wink-and-a-nod online barter economy that seems to nourish the emerging business functions of the Internet worldwide. You "pay for free" by sacrificing (knowingly or not) some personal information or some loss of personal privacy in exchange for great "free" features in software functionality that you can download without paying for or as a "piggybacked" part of some other free applications you might wish to use.
Architecture and Hardware
Research and Advances Spyware Aug 1 2005

Why Do People Hate Spyware?

Few people or corporations believe spyware is beneficial to the computing experience, but this issue has not been well studied [6]. This assertion is based on the trade press and countless Internet sites providing numerous articles and stories that mention slow Internet connections [5], slow computer processing [3], or privacy concerns [1], among many other reasons. To examine the reasons for this concern beyond anecdotes, a survey was conducted to empirically identify the rhetoric and the reasoning behind users' disgust of spyware.
and
Architecture and Hardware
Research and Advances Spyware Aug 1 2005

Is Spyware an Internet Nuisance or Public Menace?

Recent media attention to spyware [2, 5, 7, 8] has brought to light the blunt intrusion into individual privacy and the uncertain hidden cost of free access to Internet sites, along with freeware and shareware. Most spyware programs belong to the more benign category of adware that delivers targeted pop-up ads based on a user's Web surfing habits. The more malicious type of spyware tracks each keystroke of the user and sends that information to its proprietors. Such information could be used for legitimate data mining purposes or it could be abused by others for identity theft and financial crimes.
and
Computing Applications
Research and Advances Spyware Aug 1 2005

Spyware: A Little Knowledge Is a Wonderful Thing

With the increased dependence on networks and the near ubiquitous availability of the Internet, there is a new paradigm in place for the proliferation of spyware, viruses, and other malware. In fact, much attention has been given to spyware in popular literature with reports from multiple sources indicating that spyware has perhaps reached 90% home user PCs [2].
and
Architecture and Hardware
Research and Advances Spyware Aug 1 2005

Investigating Factors Affecting the Adoption of Anti-Spyware Systems

Spyware is the latest epidemic security threat for Internet users. There are various types of spyware programs (see Table 1) creating serious problems such as copying and sending personal information, consuming CPU power, reducing available bandwidth, annoying users with endless pop-ups, and monitoring users' computer usage. As spyware makes the Internet a riskier place and undermines confidence in online activities, Internet users stop purchasing at online stores---a consequence that clearly disrupts e-business.
and
Architecture and Hardware
Research and Advances Spyware Aug 1 2005

Web Browsing and Spyware Intrusion

Spyware poses serious privacy and security issues to users of e-commerce and m-commerce [3, 5, 8]. Microsoft claims that half of all computer crashes reported by its customers were caused by spyware and its equivalents. Spyware is also responsible for about 12% of all technical support calls and accounts for the biggest category of customer complaints, according to Dell [1].
and
Computing Applications
Research and Advances Spyware Aug 1 2005

Busting the Ghost in the Machine

This article describes an attempt to infect two new Dell WindowsXP-SP2 PCs (named Grease and Grime) with spyware and examines the results of the spyware infections. Each PC carried Symantec Antivirus 8.1.0.125, Spyware Doctor 3.1 (Doc), Spybot Search and Destroy 1.3 (SSD), and Sandra 2005 software, but no inoculation options were active during the infection and examination processes. Table 1 illustrates the initial benchmark metrics from Sandra 2005 obtained from SI Software at www.sisoftware.net/.
and
Architecture and Hardware
Research and Advances Spyware Aug 1 2005

Spyware: A View from the (Online) Street

There are indications of late that the use of anti-spyware software is on the rise, with more than 100 million Internet users downloading Lavasoft's free anti-spyware software [2]. Some big-name companies are also beginning to address the spyware issue, including Microsoft, which currently has a beta version of its own anti-spyware available to Microsoft Windows users for download. However, a Gartner survey finds only 10% of respondents were taking sufficiently aggressive steps to minimize spyware infestations [5] and a Forrester survey found that even though 55% of consumers knew what spyware was, only 40% were running anti-spyware programs routinely [7].
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Computing Applications
Research and Advances Aug 1 2005

Sharing Research in the 21st Century: Borrowing a Page from Open Source Software

The Internet continues to evolve and digital devices continue to emerge, increasing the possibilities for reshaping how we work. The technology revolution has impacted many aspects of society including the research publishing industry. Increasingly, hard copy journals and other scholarly material are made available online. Although many traditional research publications are now online, little has […]
Computing Applications
Opinion Inside risks Aug 1 2005

Disability-Related Risks

People with disabilities often experience difficulties that arise from their interactions with computer technology, above and beyond the usual risks. Their job performance, health, safety, financial stability, and general well-being may all be impaired—for example, because of shortcomings in system interfaces and workplace conditions, human limitations, legal inequities, and other factors. As technologists, we must […]
and
Computing Applications

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