This news about a specific anti-spyware consortium allowing 180solutions acceptance into their ranks just goes to show how bad the malware problem really is. I mean it is not bad enough that this sort of stuff can end up on your own system, but now it is finding its way into groups who are supposed to be working for us to keep people safe from this sort of thing.

An anti-spyware consortium has collapsed weeks after its decision to admit 180solutions, the controversial adware firm to its ranks. The final demise of the Consortium of Anti-Spyware Technology vendors (Coast) this week follows the exit of founding members CA, Alluria and Webroot in February. Each cited a lack of faith in Coast’s ability to develop effective anti-spyware standards.

180solutions, which describes itself as a provider of search marketing solutions, was allowed to join as a developer member of Coast, despite controversy over its permission-based search assistant applications. CA (here) and other vendors such as McAfee (here) describe 180solutions’ software as adware. 180solutions said that the adware accusation, which it contests, is in any case outdated after it modified its software and agreed to sign up to Coast’s code of conduct. [Read the rest]