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Every 5th Call At Dell Is Spyware-Related
prostoalex writes "Financial Express quotes a Dell executive saying that spyware is installed on roughly 90% computers out there. Right now 20% of all Dell phone support calls are spyware-related. University of Washington research this March published a moderate estimate of 5.1% PCs running spyware."
I think it's probably somewhere in between 5% and 90%...
This is Dell(hi). We are not able to being helping you with Spyware this time. Your Dell service is not including that. Do not be cursing at me, sir! Your attitude is having me upset! You must be finding a local person to be helping you.
Of course, it doesn't help that the Dell website has a popup message proclaiming
"SPYWARE DETECTED ON YOUR MACHINE! CLICK HERE TO REMOVE!"
After which, the user proptly clickes there to install the spyware...
(Ok, I don't know if the Dell website really has a popup like that, but I have no reason to believe it doesn't, and I sure ain't going there to check it out)
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Windows XP includes may common features with spyware:
* slow down the systems
* phones home to centeral servers
* long click though eula the nobody reads
* pushed on unwitting consumers
* claims to improve system security
* only avaliable on PC
They really went the distance to get the results they wanted...
Calling tech support about spyware?
C'mon! The stuff installs itself without asking confusing configuration questions, runs invisibly in the background, and can't be deleted even if you try, much less by accident. It "just works", and users often don't even know it's there.
It's the ideal user experience. How much easier could they make it? And people still call tech support for help? They obviously must be clueless Joe Sixpacks that just don't understand software.
It's the users' fault.
haven't you heard? Linux *IS* sypware!
dont believe the hippy-left-wing-pinko-commie-hype!
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah." - Lennon, McCartney
Using Linux as a file server at home: Free.
Using Solaris in our data-center: Pricey.
Not having to put up with viruses, zero-day exploits and assorted other bullshit: Priceless.
Apple, Sun & IBM make Microsoft look like the Red Sox, a lot of talk with zero action backing it up.
I like big butts and I cannot lie.
read the prompt with incredulity and then apply their best judgment
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!
I wouldn't trust the average user to make toast without burning down the house.
"Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
Firefox is an OS???
What a fool believes, he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.
Funny thing, I read that article and a popup for spyware comes up, defying even Firefox's popup blocker. Ironically, the popup said that the computer has spyware installed.
Eh.
Suppose you are driving home from work one night and you happen to drive through an ion storm.
You pull up in your drive way and everything seems normal. But then you walk in the house and see a hot girl sitting on your couch. She walks over and gives you a passionate kiss and tells you dinner is ready. You know something is seriously wrong the universe.
In this parallel world, *your* favorite Linux distribution is King. As is your favorite Window Manager, toolkit, and so on. 90% of the world runs it.
Now my question is - what would prevent spyware authors from writing and sucessfully deploying spyware on your Operating System?
Lets make the assumption that people in this parallel universe are just as careless as they are in the real universe.
Of those applications that even spew network traffic when they start/while they are running to enforce licensing between machines on the LAN the particular one you're thinking of is Microsoft Word!
1988 Citroen AX 1.4 Diesel. Bit scruffy round the bottoms of the doors, good for another few years without significant work, 85-90mpg. Oh, and a radio-cassette.
Last week the local news had a fluff piece on spyware. My wife asked "What's spyware?" I answered that it was a bane of my existence at work but something we'll never worry about at home.
So from that we can assume that Dell sells 10% of its computers with Linux. :)
I guess that means the combined Linux/Mac/*BSD marketshare is up to 10%.
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68% of all statistics are made up on the spot. Although i do agree with the estimate that 90% of computers running Windows are infected. The actual percentage rises to about 99% if servers and special-purpose machines are excluded from the count. And no matter how many times the machine is sweeped with some anti-spyware tool, in 5 minutes of browsing there will be something installed, even if its a tracking cookie.
It is as simple as avoiding the popups that say "You are infected, please scan" It is bs.
Dell: I am sorry, every support call we get is spyware related.
M$: So?
Dell: It all came from IE, your browser. Now we have to bundle Firebox and disable IE for all shipped Dell products.
M$: No. IE is superior. Windows is superior. Suck my left nut.
Dell: What?
M$: Get back to work or we take away windows licensing.
Dell: Ok. Would you like some coffee sir?