Anti-Malware Organizations
In light of the major problem malware poses today, a number of organizations have been created. Some foster the unilateral goal of protecting users; others are regular companies that have joined the fight against malicious software.
StopBadware.org
At the forefront of the anti-malware campaign is StopBadware.org, which keeps a directory of "badware" (i.e. malware) related web sites. The number of sites increases constantly, as users submit sites that StopBadware reviews for potential illegitimacy. This organization works solely to protect innocent users, and is known as the whistleblower against malware of all forms. StopBadware was the organization to call out America Online for leaving two software processes on users' computers, even after AOL was allegedly uninstalled. StopBadware is clearly the preeminent anti-malware organization. StopBadware is a project run by Harvard Law School and Oxford University, which is being supported by Google, Lenovo, and Sun Microsystems.
While Google is certainly not an organization based on preventing malware, it has taken a very active role in protecting users from badware. Google partnered with StopBadware. Now, when users attempt to click on Google search results that could lead to dangerous web sites, Google offers a warning that the page may contain malware, and provides a link to the StopBadware.org project. Take this example, from "Google Blogscoped":
Virtually Every Antispyware and Antivirus Company
Admittedly, there is only one organization that fights spyware and viruses without the financial motives of providing preventative software. Still, profit-driven antivirus companies like AVG, McAfee, Symantec, Norton, Avast, and ZoneAlarm, offer resources that are very useful. Many of these antivirus programs have online virus databases, giving users detailed information as to what threat each virus poses, how prevalent it is, how it is generally acquired, and how to best get rid of it. McAfee, like StopBadware.org, has teamed up with Google to protect users. Those who use McAfee for antivirus protection will see buttons next to search results. The buttons are affected by the safety of links to other sites, the safety of downloads, and how many popups appear. Here are some sample search results for the keywords "Download games."
You may have noticed that the last result, Gametop.com, features a red warning circle. If one hovers over the colored box, McAfee Site Advisor offers more details as to why a site has received a particular ranking. Here is the Site Advisor for Gametop. Essentially, while the site itself is safe, it links to unsafe sites. Since McAfee can no longer advise you of potential threats once you leave the Google search results, they preemptively warn users of the problem. This service comes with a subscription to McAfee, and is also available for free on the internet (for example, at download.com). SiteAdvisor offers yet another example of how antivirus programs are compensating for the greater risk involved with surfing the internet. Without a McAfee Site Advisor, or StopBadware, users just can't know what they're getting with each download.
Resources
StopBadware. Accessed April 15, 2007. <http://stopbadware.org/>.
"StopBadware. Accessed April 15, 2007. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stopbadware>.
Jesdanun, Anick. "Google Sponsors Spyware Warning Project." The Washington Post. August 9, 2006. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/09/AR2006080901494.html>
Baratz, Adam & McLaughlin, Charles. "Malware: what it is and how to prevent it." Ars Technia. November 11, 2004. <http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/malware.ars>