A recent report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project proves what most of us have suspected for some time: Spyware, malicious software that's typically installed on your system surreptitiously and can perform any number of unwanted actions, is changing the way people use the Internet.

The numbers are astonishing. According to the report, 91 percent of Internet users have changed their browsing habits to avoid spyware, 81 percent have stopped opening email attachments unless they're sure the attachments are safe, almost half have stopped visiting certain Web sites because they're afraid those sites are silently installing spyware on their PCs, and 25 percent have stopped downloading music and other files from peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks. (One has to wonder why that last figure isn't higher.)

Like terrorism and global warming, spyware has created an aura of fear about it, but unlike those examples, spyware is all too often the fear of the known, not the unknown. As far back as October 2004, most Internet users had had some form of spyware installed on their PCs. That figure is likely much higher today.

Aside from the obvious problem--the theft of crucial information, including credit card numbers and passwords--spyware materially affects the PC experience. Infected computers run slower, freeze, or crash. New desktop icons and applications begin appearing. Your Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) home page changes, or new IE toolbars appear.

I've written about spyware a lot since suffering my first Trojan attack in May 2005 while testing the Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) beta. In March 2005, I addressed the spyware problem in two Windows IT Pro UPDATE articles, "Spyware: The Greatest Threat Yet to the Corporate Desktop?" and "Microsoft Takes Action Against Malware" (See URLs below). So what's changed since then? Sadly, a lot has changed.

First, spyware is now a fact of life on the Windows platform, and if you administer Windows systems, you're responsible for ensuring that spyware doesn't make it to your users' desktops. That means you need a managed antispyware solution in place sooner rather than later. Like antivirus and other electronic protections, antispyware is now part of the equation. If you don't have a way of stopping it, you're not doing your job.

Second, you need a plan to deal with electronic attacks that succeed. What happens when spyware has already infected users' systems? What happens when intruders have already stolen crucial data? Data theft is a terrifying concern for individuals but what about a corporation's data? Is your CEO's laptop adequately protected?

Finally, the spyware scourge, which the Pew Internet & American Life Project survey says is changing the population's computer using habits, is causing a more fundamental change. Most Windows IT Pro UPDATE readers are likely familiar with Apple Computer's stunningly successful iPod MP3 player. Heck, many of you probably own an iPod. I happen to own several, although that's a different story altogether. Many analysts and industry pundits had predicted that a "halo effect" from the iPod would cause customers to consider Apple's other major product, the Macintosh computer, as well. The halo effect, they said, would lead to increased Mac sales and, perhaps, change the dynamics of the computer market.

So far, it's impossible to prove that the halo effect is real. But Mac sales grew 43 percent in the first quarter of 2005 and 35 percent in the second quarter, much higher than the PC industry average of 14 percent during the first half of 2005. Analysts are now wondering aloud whether the spyware problem that bedevils Windows-based PCs--but not Macs or Linux machines--is a contributing factor to Apple's sudden success with the Mac. Some suggest it's the single biggest factor--far more relevant to new users than the iPod halo effect.

The evidence is compelling. For the first time, PC users are simply throwing out computers that are infested with spyware, rather than trying to fix them. The problem is that spyware-infested PCs are often impossible to fix. Instead, you need to wipe out the system and start over again. In managed environments, this isn't a huge problem beyond backing up crucial data, but for individuals, it's a nightmare. With PC prices now starting at less than $300--or about $500 for an entry-level Mac mini--consumers are just starting over. It's simpler.

When the personal computing market first kicked into high gear in the early 1980s, computer enthusiasts were responsible for getting big business excited about the technology. First, VisiCalc-equipped Apple II computers began appearing in businesses, followed by IBM PCs running Lotus 1-2-3. Today, Mac laptops--called PowerBooks--are beginning to appear more and more often in the planes, Internet cafes, and press rooms I frequent around the country. Tech enthusiasts--what we might call tech influencers--are turning, increasingly, to the Mac.

For Microsoft and its Windows-using customers, this change could be a problem. Or, if you're interested in a safer computing experience, it could be a solution. Although many business users require Windows-specific applications that won't run on the Mac, a good percentage of Windows users today require only very basic services, including word processing, email, and Web browsing. These needs are well served by a Mac or even by a Linux-based PC, both of which are arguably safer today than Windows machines.

Questions emerge, of course. Is a more heterogeneous environment really safer, or is that just an added layer of complexity? And are Windows alternatives more secure because they're better designed or because so few hackers attempt to infiltrate those machines? These are questions for the ages, I suppose. But in a world where spyware is only the most recent attempt at tearing down the House of Windows, I'm beginning to wonder whether the alternatives don't make some sense.

Pew Internet & American Life Project Spyware Report (PDF)
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/160/report_display.asp

Spyware: The Greatest Threat Yet to the Corporate Desktop?
http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/45577/45577.html

Microsoft Takes Action Against Malware
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/45688/45688.html

Reader Comments

Nice article but what have you done with Paul Thurott? I recently bought my first Mac and it's been a great experience so far. To be fair, I never have any issues with spyware or viruses on my Windows PC but then I know how to keep that crap off my system. Where I'm going crazy is having to spend my weekends cleaning up my family and friends' computers. I'm about at the point where I tell them to get a Mac or find someone else who's willing to waste their weekends working on computers.

our society tries to generalize everything and make issues appear neat when they are not; the soundbite mentality. computers are just tools. you use the tool that best meets suits your needs. as prices have declined, computers have become consumables. people are becoming more educated about the options they have for choosing a tool. the race in the future will not be so much about spyware problems (that will eventually be managed), but what real added functionality a new computer offers. think of the cpu in your car. you don't buy a particular car because of its architecture or clock speed. computers in the future will be purchased based on what USEFUL functionality is wrapped around the CPU. the brand winners will be the ones who do not let their design get in the way of the functionality. the increase in mac marketshare has as much to do with the appeal their products have to our "soft" side as anything else. they were extremely sneaky in tricking us into a fundamental change in the way we listen to music by creating a portable single function computer that does exactly that. i disagree with those who say they were late to the mp3/walkman game and just better. the reasons their competitors are having trouble getting traction is they are too busy copying to have the basic understanding that apple has: change the way people listen to music (the way to compete with apple is to change it even more-not copy). remains to be seen if apple really has another card up their sleeve to change the way we interact with video.

Apple's OS X operating system is what's responsible for the strong growth in Mac sales; the lack of spyware and other malware on OS X is but one of its many many advantages over Windows. Surely there is some "halo effect" as Windows users see what a fine and attractive solution iTunes is even on their PCs and how well the iPod's slick design and classic interface lets them do what they want with it really really easily. But almost all computer hardware sold today except the most crippled budget systems is way more than good enough for the average user, and it's the strength ease of the operating system and the integrated iLife suite of applications for working with digital media that sells Macs to one-time Windows users (like me).

I use Mac, Windows and Linux. I have more free time on my hands now that friends and family have started switching to the Mac and don't need constant help from the spyware or virus demons inside. Mac OS X is an excellent operating system. I just wish Apple would start a proper marketing campaign around it and do a better job of getting the message out. Pete http://www.sladehome.com

I travel overseas on business and moved from a ThinkPad to a PowerBook 3+ years ago simply to avoid the risk of malware while halfway around the world. Since then I have upgraded the business PowerBook to a faster one and added a 23" display - the perfect combination for an office, thanks to depreciation expense. At home the PCs are gone and a 20" G5 iMac takes care of most things, with a 12" iBook for the wife to use while propped up in bed. I don't hate MS like some Mac users. I run VPC with XP Pro as I need XP to demo an app to prospects. I also use Visio under VPC and the Mac version of Office. The important thing for me is that I spend zero time focused on virus/worm/spyware issues. I just use my computer - just like in the old days with Windows 3.1. It brings back the pleasure of using a computer and is well worth the price.

Good stuff.

It's really getting tough out there for the average PC user that's not willing to invest the time to learn how to harden their system against the kaleidoscope of attacks in the wild. As a long time multi-platform computer user that only uses Windows at work, I have marveled at how much people have adaptively been willing to put up with on their home PCs. That seems to be changing, slowly but surely. I have seen the IT staff at work spend ever increasing time fighting the good fight to keep a complex multi-platform network clean. The time and money upgrading to add protection, not capability as well as fixing corrupted systems is wearing on even these long time Windows people. I think all but one of them is using LINUX on their home computers or is dual-booting now- only using Windows for gaming or other limited use. After spending all day with the mess they don't want to come home to it. It should be noted that the main UNIX system and various UNIX-type clients have NEVER been compromised while the Windows servers and clients have been the subject and source of all of the trouble. The IT staff are not old-school UNIX people who reluctantly adopted Windows, they are MS Certified Windows people who only have used UNIX where they 'had' to. The track record of the MS stuff compared to the UNIX is pushing them slowly to the tipping point. The other bane of their existence is hiding from the endless brain picking they endure from Windows users with infected/crashed home PCs. Every trip to the cafeteria, break room, etc is highlighted by at least one "can you help me" from fellow employees. Guess which minority group never seems to bother them about such things? The growing base of Macintosh users. I have the great fortune of using UNIX equipment to get my work done and have limited need for XP. I only can grin when our stuff keeps on while the Windows stuff is the source of most every problem that crops up. I don't know if I should feel sorry for these people or not.

People are switching to the mac in a two-step process. First, they start thinking about it because of (in order of importance): (1) Windows security nightmare, (2) good experience with iPod/iTunes/iTMS, (3) hear good word of mouth from mac users (also good press reviews). Then, they go look at the mac and decide to do it. Why? Main reason - they now realize for themselves its simply BETTER MADE and does everthing they want to do BETTER and EASIER. Because that's how Apple made it. f***ing better. The only people sticking with windows after they see the mac are gamers; DIY/geek/knowledgeable types that like the added flexibility; paralyzed people that are too afraid to change; corporate types that have to have an "IBM" like they use at work Second,

Don't forget, there are two classes of entrenched Windows users. The already mentioned ignorant/unexposed do not switch to the Mac out of fear, and because they have recently invested in Wintel hardware, and are not skilled enough to switch to Linux. The second group resistant to change is the Windows power users who get off on the ego trip of having people always ask them for help and aren't yet sick of wasting their time.

Welcome to the party, Paul.

I recently traveled to Spain and stayed with friends. The husband had a desktop PC running Windows XP, the wife a iBook running OS X. I wanted to check my bank account and after sitting down at the Windows PC I realized how nervous I was about logging on to my account... he assured me he checks for viruses and has the latest updates... I said, can I use the Mac? It may have been perfectly safe to use his PC but in that moment I trusted the Mac and not Windows...

I switched to Macs in 10/2004 and haven't regretted the decision. I know enough about Windows to build my own systems and routinely fix my friends' and family's Windows computers. When you can't trust the end user to do the right thing (or to know better), you can't really blame the end user - the OS should be taking into consideration the "wild, wild west" behavior of the current Internet landscape along with the behavior of the average computer consumer. Windows fails to protect the end user (against the environment and against themselves) in its out-of-box state. You need to know how to setup a restricted user. By comparison, OS X's out-of-box state is much more locked-down, asking for admin credentials to install software or make system configuration changes. And if you setup a "child" account under Tiger, you'll see just how deep these restrictions can go. I can create a login that only has access to the calculator and Apple.com's web site and nothing else if I like! In XP, while this *is* possible, it's not common knowledge and can't be done without manually editing/creating registry entries. Throw in Tiger, the iLife suite, squeeze it into the style of the new iMac (I own one of these two-inch-thick wonders) and add the fact that this marvel runs at one-tenth the noise level of my previous Windows PC and I find myself in a place where Microsoft's Longhorn had better blow me away or I'm gonna keep following the Apple tangent farther and farther away, never looking back.

In your report of alternatives to Windows on the average corporate desktop, you gorgot about thin clients. Most are much safer than your average system on the desktop, and connect to a central Citrix server for ease of administration and tight controls. And given that spyware is more behavioural than anything else, it will be just a matter of time before that spyware starts infecting Macs. Average user base increases (from the specialiized and generally more hip base of Mac users, to the more general mom and pop users), the openness to spyware increases, and since it is the users fault 95% of the time that the spyware got installed in the first place, it will only stand to reason that spyware will start infecting Macs too. Then what have we actually achieved? And Paul, I don't think I need to tell you this, but the last I checked this was still "WINDOWS" It Pro, and not Mac IT Pro. In your personal blog you comment on how the community will react, which is telling.

We have an interesting yet undoubtedly common situation at my workplace. We are an exclusively Windows shop. I and five of my collegues have been using Macs at home for twenty years. At lunch, when computers become the topic, usually two groups form. My Windows friends invariably discuss workarounds to the latest malware and my Mac buddies and I talk about Photoshop techniques, comparing the differences between iMovie and Final Cut editing functions or some such topic. Unfortunately our IT people don't have the time to help my Windows friends clean up their home systems as they used to. They are now faced with dealing with that nightmare themselves. I miss their input. These are smart people. Hopefully smart enough to buy a Mac instead of another Windows machine when they throw out their infested ones.

The PEW report is quite interesting, but do you really believe those figures? "91% of internet users say they have made at least one change in their online behavior to avoid unwanted software programs." It's just too good to be true. Keep on reading till the last page of the report, and you'll learn that it is based on "telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 2,001 adults living in continental United States telephone households." In other words: they didn't ask teenage Kazaa'ers and online gamers about their habits. They also left out the world outside the U.S. In short: The report is heavily biased, and Paul fails to make that point. Although exaggerated, the report might show a trend. As for myself, I've used Windows for years, both at work and at home, and I find myself spending more and more time keeping the computers clean and advising people. My young folks (aged 25 and 20) are devoted Linux and Mac fans, respectively. I hope they can continue to enjoy their unconcerned lives.

Anonymous said: 'Average user base increases (...), the openness to spyware increases, and since it is the users fault 95% of the time that the spyware got installed in the first place, it will only stand to reason that spyware will start infecting Macs too.' if i'm not mistaken, spyware programs are .exe files?(i've never seen a spyware file, i'm on a Mac) Windows-based,.exe software programs cannot execute inside the Mac environment (OS 9 or OSX). even if you double click a Windows virus file attached to an email, for example, nothing happens. it just sits there, DOA. so i suppose that at least we're safe from Windows-based spyware and viruses. ...and good luck to malware programmers who want to take a shot at cracking Mac OSX. they've got their work cut out for them.

Quoting Anonymous: if i'm not mistaken, spyware programs are .exe files? Windows-based,.exe software programs cannot execute inside the Mac environment (OS 9 or OSX). Response: In Mac OS X, most executable files have the .app extension. There's always a chance you can download iKillj00.app and it will be executable. One major difference, though, is that if the file tries to make system changes, it will prompt for an Administrator password, something not seen in the Windows world (it uses the "SYSTEM" super user instead). Also, people can make malicious AppleScripts and UNIX batch files, chmod them to be executable, and convincce you to run them. We're not as safe as we think we are, but we're still better off than Windows users.

The Mac OS (and Windows if you set it up correctly) default user is not the root/admin user. This means a malicious script can erase everything in your user directory (documents, pictures, work files...) without asking for permission. However, if the malicious script wants to install itself deeper in the system (to hide itself, monitor keystrokes, act more wormlike) then it will have to ask you to enter your password before doing so. Thank God most malware is only interested in showing you advertising and collecting marketing data!!! Any one of the Windows malware applications could erase your hard drive if it wanted to. Mac OS X malware should be able to erase all your personal data, which is from a practical standpoint just as bad as if it erased your entire disk... you will still be able to boot, but all you data will be gone. The only solution I can think of is to have web browsers and email clients run in their own sandboxes. From within the sandbox, any modification to the actual filesystem must be authorized by the user, and all such modification can be rolled-back if they turn out to have been malicious. What a PITA.

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It's true: Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness

Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness: http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments_opinion/490/

"81 percent have stopped opening email attachments unless they're sure the attachments are safe," That means that 19% of computer users are still too thick to be trusted with a butterknife, let alone a mail program.

I don't believe the report that much. If such a large percentage of people were truly not opening attachments, then we would see a marked decrease in spyware and virus/worm activity. I haven't seen that happen, so I agree with another poster that the study is skewed, like all studies in some way. Now, it is true that opening up an exe file will do nothing in a Mac. Of course it won't, the file is not compatible with your OS. But, there is nothing to prevent a spyware app designer to design an app to infect Mac machines (oh, yeah, marketshare). You can continue to live in your ivory tower, but you'll get what you deserve if the Mac numbers starts increasing like you Mac fans want them to.

"In Mac OS X, most executable files have the .app extension. There's always a chance you can download iKillj00.app and it will be executable..." But the first time you run it, you'll get a warning: The action you have begun will run the application iKillj00.app for the first time. Are you sure you want to do this?"

The questions posed at the end of this article "Is a more heterogeneous environment really safer, or is that just an added layer of complexity? And are Windows alternatives more secure because they're better designed or because so few hackers attempt to infiltrate those machines?" can be well answered by Winn Schwartau's blog article and comments: http://securityawareness.blogspot.com/2005/07 /mad-as-hell-x-security-history-systems.html

What about Linux firewalls - built with old boxes - put between modem and router - and I have my first Linux machine up in years because my machines crashed despite daily updates & scans w/known good anti-virus and spyware scanners. HP and IBM are making pre-loaded Linux machines. Winduhs will crash as long as they boot up in administrative mode, and as long as they can run programs - that you can't see with C-A-D - intentionally designed fundamental flaws. If longhorn/vista doesn't correct these two major flaws intentionally built into winduhs since 3.11 - expect more grief frum bill Gates' latest and gratest issue - so he can sell an ever later and grater OS. Ok we had a few thousand spyware programs a year ago, 12,000 in April - and 30,000 now - and they're being generated at the rate of 300/day now - more vicious than ever. Ok, how long will a spyware program take to scan a year from now? The pundits who are in our universities are telling us we will have 105,000 to a million a year from now - and the numbers are overwhelming - wv jim I can hear the sound of breaking Winduhs. They were always fragile -

"I find myself in a place where Microsoft's Longhorn had better blow me away or I'm gonna keep following the Apple tangent farther and farther away, never looking back." Ive read articles already stating that Tiger is basically what Longhorn *its name has changed now, but forgotten* will be like when it comes out in terms of its capabilities. And when XP came out for Windows, OS X sent Microsoft back to the drawing board, and its been around a good 4 yrs now and Apple have released its 4th Major OS update where XP is on SP2. By the time Windows release its next OS, Apple will already have a new OS update coming out since its recent annoucement to move to Intel Processors some time next year. As far as im concerned, Apple have caught up with MS and are quickly starting to take over. Ive had my iMac G4 since OS X came out, and recently updated to 10.3, and its running smooth as ever.

I have been an PC Compatible user since the first 8086 processors hit the market back in the late 80's. When it comes to PC-Based operating systems, I have used everything from DOS to Linux. I have sworn my allegance to the Microsoft line of operating systems for as long as I can remember. My favorites to date have been NT and 2000. But with the advent of XP and the menagerie of viruses and spyware/malware that seem to stay ahead of the software that trys to thwart them, I must honestly say that I have been drawn towards the light of more robust and secure operating systems such as FreeBSD, Linux, and yes, Apple OS X. As a Systems Administrator for a mid-sized company, I deal with the woes of Spyware on a daily basis - moreso than viruses. While some have commented on spyware being in the form of an EXE file (versus OS X's APP files), please keep in mind that not all spyware comes so neatly wrapped and illuminated. A good percentage of spyware/malware comes in the form of Windows Registry Entires, DLL files, and ActiveX Controls. While in the office, it is my job to maintain a Windows-based community but after hours, I no longer want that headache. So after nearly 20 years as a bonified PC Compatible guy, I am now an Apple Mac convert and I haven't regretted my decision once! I have the power of UNIX at my fingertips should I wish to invoke the geek inside. I have the plethora of commercial grade, cross-platform apps (ie: Office, Photoshop, DreamWeaver, etc.) all within reach. I never worry about anti-virus/anti-spyware software, and all my pre-existing hardware works! Should I wish to run Windows, I just invoke Virtual PC (but keep networking disabled for sanity sake). While I wouldn't wish OS X's predessesor's on anyone, I do HIGHLY recommend OS X (or any flavor of *NIX) over XP any day of the week, especially for those who no longer wish to serve their OS but wish to have their OS serve them!