"Malware" made it into the dictionary!

I find it fascinating that is took this long, nevertheless "Malware" made it into Miriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition 2008.

Malware: software designed to interfere with a computer’s normal functioning.

Billions of dollars later, malware is finally getting some recognition. My questions is how did it take so long? This current wave of malware attacks has continued to reach all time highs year after year, yet it has been somewhat ignored by Corporate America even with the catastrophic growth levels.

Dave DeWalt, President and CEO of McAfee was recently quoted: "The current trends, only six months into it, is that we are seeing doubling from 2007 to 2008 in the amount of malware we receive".

Don't be fooled though, this problem goes much deeper than just recent times. We all remember nearly a decade ago the famous love letter worm that phished millions of people for up to 10 billion dollars. I guess that wasn't enough to draw Miriam Webster's attention. Other words were though.

Try the also recently added phrase "Mental health day": a day that an employee takes off from work to relieve stress or renew vitality. I do agree we all need a mental health day every once in a while, but are you kidding me?

1 in 8 internet users have been attacked by malware, and the sad thing is that some of the biggest internet giants are serving ads on these malicious pages infecting the users. They choose to ignore the issue, and it just so happens that online ad revenues are hitting historic levels as well. What a coincidence!

Atleast the unlucky and scary word malware finally made it to the dictionary, a tiny step to making the internet a safer and a more open marketplace.

Until next time, I wish you luck towards a safe journey through cyberspace.

-Jonathan Ross