NYU, Google researchers hack business model of adware, scareware, other unwanted software

A team of researchers from Google and the New York University Tandon School of Engineering next week will offer the first public view into shady practices that deliver unwanted advertising and software bundled with legitimate downloads - a problem that occurs far more often than malware attempts. Their research suggests that some of the affiliates that distribute such software may be complicit in the scheme, which provides layers of deniability that they are installing unwanted software.