Links
The Web holds an abundance of informational resources on Spyware, viruses and other Internet threats. Here are a few of our favourite sites.
Anti Spyware Coalition
The ASC is a group dedicated to building a consensus about definitions and best practices in the debate surrounding spyware and other potentially unwanted technologies. Composed of anti-spyware software companies, academics, and consumer groups, the ASC seeks to bring together a diverse array of perspective on the problem of controlling spyware and other potentially unwanted technologies.
Ben Edelman
"Ben is a Ph.D candidate at the Department of Economics at Harvard University and a student at Harvard Law School. [....] Ben's current research agenda includes analyzing methods and effects of spyware, with a focus on installation methods and revenue sources. In the course of this work, Ben has documented advertisers supporting spyware, as well as affiliate commission fraud yielding ill-gotten revenues."
Center for Democracy and Technology
"The Center for Democracy and Technology works to promote democratic values and constitutional liberties in the digital age. With expertise in law, technology, and policy, CDT seeks practical solutions to enhance free expression and privacy in global communications technologies. CDT is dedicated to building consensus among all parties interested in the future of the Internet and other new communications media."
DoxDesk.com : Parasites, or Unsolicited Commercial Software
DoxDesk.com's parasite section is "a repository of data concerning unsolicited commercial software, independent of any anti-parasite software vendor," according to its creator. That is, the site does not represent any particular software company and simply provides detailed information about a huge number of Internet threats in order to educate users. DoxDesk.com is the work of Andrew Clover, a programmer and computer expert based in Ingolstadt, Germany.
MegaSecurity.Org
Behind its amateur visual design and layout, MegaSecurity.Org is a vast resource for information about threats like Trojans, Backdoors and Remote Administration Tools (RATs). A glance at their "About" page yields only that the website is maintained by a group of aliased individuals, only one of whom, called MasterRat, provides an e-mail address. This secrecy may not inspire faith in the site, but the information contained within, including screenshots for a huge number of Backdoors and RATs, remains invaluable to users and security professionals.
Privacy Rights Now!
"This site was organized by Ralph Nader and Remar Sutton to highlight the efforts of the key non-profit organizations that care about the integrity of your private life. This web site is not "commercial." No one is making money or gathering information here. [..] At this site, we'll help you 'opt-out' of at least some of the private information-sharing many companies are constantly doing with your personal information. We'll also give you a 'heads up' on many of the issues and problems in the privacy and credit-sharing world."
Spyware Warrior
A site linking to the blogs of independent Spyware researchers, forums, research results, a rogue anti-spyware list, and general anti-spyware resources.
Vitalsecurity.org
"Online since 2001, Vitalsecurity.org is dedicated to bringing you the latest happenings in the security field, and our emphasis is the world of digital privacy. Spyware, malware and the growing wave of information repression are our targets - and we never miss."