Hence why I doubt we will every see certain OS’ really look at the exploits that allow for the need to ‘protect us’ from spyware in the first place. It’s big business, folks!

The corporate anti-spyware market is predicted to explode over the next four years extending to more than 540m seats in 2009, a 30-fold increase from an estimated 16m seats in 2005, according to a study by analysts the Radicati Group published this week.

Security concerns - including regulatory compliance risks posed by spyware threats - and the effect of spyware on worker productivity are driving the growth in the market. Radicati’s Corporate Anti-Spyware Market, 2005-2009 report also indicates that the cost of managing spyware is quickly rising as spyware programs become increasingly devious. It reckons the administrative cost of dealing with spyware-infected computers will reach about $265 per user in 2005.

Spyware refers to a class of invasive program that generates pop-ups, hijacks user home pages or redirects searches in an attempt to either monitor user activity or bombard surfers with unwanted messages. According to a December 2004 study by analyst IDC, the need to identify and eradicate these parasitic programmes will drive anti-spyware software revenues from $12m in 2003 to $305m in 2008. IDC reckons two in three PCs are infected with some form of spyware. [Get the links]