Badware's seven deadly sins

By Ellen Messmer, NetworkWorld.com, 03/22/06

StopBadware.org, that organization set up last January to take a stand against spyware and questionable adware, today named the first inductees into its badware hall of shame.

The four 'badware' programs identified by StopBadware.org are: Kazaa, MediaPipe, SpyAxe, and Waterfalls 3. The details on why these four were singled out is available in the report at www.stopbadware.org

StopBadware.org has taken the approach of identifying bad behaviors in downloadable applications. Not unlike the principles of the "seven deadly sins" (greed, anger, sloth, envy, gluttony, pride and lust), the sins of software have been summed up by StopBadware.org in a group of seven traits as well: deceptive installations; causing harm to other computers; modifying other software; transmitting user data; interfering with computer use; and being difficult to completely uninstall.

According to the organization, the first four applications named to its hall of shame are guilty of those behaviors in one way or another

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