Q: Why does my computer keep getting infected and why do I get so much spam?
A: Oddly enough the answer to both questions is: “Money”
Here is a (very slightly) simplified description of the process:
- Virus writers write viruses that infect millions of PCs and turn them into a huge network of remotely-controlled email servers. They do this because spammers pay them for the use of their network (botnet) to send billions of spams.
- Users respond to the spams and send the spammers money for the items/services, or in the case of “Pump and Dump” stock scams, buy the stock, artificially raising it’s price.
If you’re interested in becoming a more difficult target for viruses and and spyware, just let us know.