Spying on the spyware makers

pr0digal jenius · May 4, 2005, 05:32 PM

Ben Edelman may be spyware's most dangerous enemy.
The 25-year-old researcher has spent years analyzing how spyware and adware programs work and publicizing his findings. That often results in red faces and, occasionally, lawsuit threats from companies like WhenU and Claria, formerly known as Gator.

When testing spyware and adware, Edelman isn't about to sacrifice his own Windows XP computer. So he uses the VMware utility to create a virtual Windows box.

"I infect the hell out of it," he says. "It destroys the infected machine."

A law student at Harvard University, Edelman is also working on a doctoral degree in economics. CNET News.com caught up with him after he spoke at a conference in San Francisco sponsored by News.com's sister site, Download.com.

Q: What got you interested in spyware in the first place?
________________
Find his answer to this question and more at C|Net News

pr0digal jenius · May 4, 2005, 05:33 PM

I wish I could spend all my time infecting a VMWare machine with advertising ploys

Bruuce · May 4, 2005, 05:47 PM

Touche.

I wish I could load up IE without getting spyware. Maybe some good will come out of this though.

May 4, 2005, 05:32 PM	#1
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	Spying on the spyware makers Ben Edelman may be spyware's most dangerous enemy. The 25-year-old researcher has spent years analyzing how spyware and adware programs work and publicizing his findings. That often results in red faces and, occasionally, lawsuit threats from companies like WhenU and Claria, formerly known as Gator. When testing spyware and adware, Edelman isn't about to sacrifice his own Windows XP computer. So he uses the VMware utility to create a virtual Windows box. "I infect the hell out of it," he says. "It destroys the infected machine." A law student at Harvard University, Edelman is also working on a doctoral degree in economics. CNET News.com caught up with him after he spoke at a conference in San Francisco sponsored by News.com's sister site, Download.com. Q: What got you interested in spyware in the first place? ________________ Find his answer to this question and more at C\|Net News

May 4, 2005, 05:47 PM	#3
Bruuce DriverHeaven Winner Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 293 Rep Power: 0	Touche. I wish I could load up IE without getting spyware. Maybe some good will come out of this though. __________________

May 4, 2005, 05:33 PM	Thread Starter #2
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	I wish I could spend all my time infecting a VMWare machine with advertising ploys