Anti-spyware research becomes partly automated

An automated spyware research system has been launched by anti-spyware firm Webroot Software. The system is called Phileas:

the system relies on bots--computer programs that perform tasks in lieu of a person--that continually crawl the Web, looking for spyware, adware, and the sites that host such software. Webroot plans to use the information gathered by Phileas to develop anti-spyware products that can better address new threats.

Automation, he contends, is the answer. He estimates that one hour of automated research equals 10 work-days of manual research. When first tested in October of last year, the company identified more than 20,000 sites that made spyware available. By February, Webroot plans to have more than 100 bots active, scouring up to 10 sites a second.

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