• August 11, 2005

Spyware and viruses have cost U.S. consumers more than $2.6 billion in protection software and $9 billion in computer repairs over the last two years, according to the September issue of Consumer Reports. More than half--52 percent--of 3,200 Internet-connected households surveyed reported a spyware infection in the last six months, reported Consumer Reports in the article "Net Threat Rising. "What's more, one in three of all respondents said that a virus or spyware caused serious problems with their computers, or financial losses. Of the 52 percent that reported a spyware infection, 18 percent said the problem was so pervasive that they ended up wiping their hard drives to fix it.

"The silver lining is less spam," the report says, but some people are getting more than ever. Overall, respondents reported receiving less spam than last year, but 33 percent of respondents reported getting much more unwanted mail. Those who used spam filters were more likely to receive less spam, but 13 percent said that spam and e-mail scams had led them to shop online less frequently.

-- Shankar Gupta