question of the day

The Brain · 12-29-2004, 01:20 PM

Whoever said, "I want to write spyware for a living when I grow up...?"

How many people here [edit]who are willing to admit[/edit] have been tasked by their companies to write spyware...?

On the average.. how much does the average entry level spyware developer make..??!?

Stack Overflow · 12-29-2004, 01:37 PM

Hello,

After reading this article, Sick of Spam? Prepare for Adware, it dawned on me. Maybe there is no salary for making spyware. After all, there are over 10,000 different types to protect yourself from. They get bundled with software, freeware, or any type of installation and bombard your computer after that. Just create them, and push them on the market.

- Stack Overflow

The Brain · 12-29-2004, 01:42 PM

i'm seeing colleges offering intro to spyware/adware development comming soon...

Aerie · 12-29-2004, 07:56 PM

How very sad that I can see your prediction being true in my lifetime....

RoD · 12-29-2004, 09:58 PM

Its already true in some colleges around here, spyware and stuff to that nature is cheap cheap cheap advertising for companies, and its not going to stop. They can utilize such a large percentage of the market at little to no cost.

**sean** · 12-29-2004, 10:08 PM

Quote:

i'm seeing colleges offering intro to spyware/adware development comming soon...

Well they used to teach email spam under Marketing. It'll just flow right into that.

dpro · 12-30-2004, 12:22 PM

I am sure some of the people who write it are not necessarily given a choice, however saying that, I violently dislike spyware because I feel its un-necessary (well I don't care what brittney spears is doing now or whatever else pops up) but also many time they try to disguise it as something else and insult the user's intelligence.

My feelings aside (as they really won't change anything) its one of those things I am afraid we will have the deal with, people wanna sell you stuff, and they really couldn't care less if you hate them or not, SOMEONE is more than likely gonna buy the darn thing.

I can only support the anti-spyware people and try and contribute as best as I can.

The spyware developers probably make as much as a normal software dev, which would probably range between $30-50k per year.

Thankfully I work in a place which has no products to sell, so I have never and hopefully never will be asked to write such a thing.

pablo615 · 12-30-2004, 03:40 PM

My spyware bundling overlords keep me locked in a basement in Kansas. I have to churn out spyware day after day, and all they let me eat is stale cheetos.

On the plus side the health plan is top notch

I do think that a lot ofspyware is written by people who actually think they are helping. They think they are providing a valuable service by selling your browsing habits and such so that you only see advertisements that they assume you would be interested in. They fail to understand that all advertising is annoying, regardless of whether its something you would actually buy or not. Poor deluded fools think they are doing us a favor...

no-one · 12-30-2004, 04:26 PM

>My spyware bundling overlords keep me locked in a basement in Kansas. I have to churn out spyware day after day, and all they let me eat is stale cheetos.
<

see even they realize your less than human, making that I am sillyI am sillyI am sillyI am silly.

The Brain · 12-31-2004, 06:37 AM

IF anyone here does write adware or spyware for a living.. i understand that you have to put food on the table etc.. i was just have a couple of questions:

1) How did you end up in the spyware/adware development business

2) What types of spyware have you written.

3) Where do you see yourself in 5 years.

novacain · 01-02-2005, 12:21 AM

I interviewed for a position that turned out to be for a scam company. Their major business was sending adverts that looked like invoices. Domain name registration was a big one. First aid kits another.
All linked to phished sites with false information/ regulations/ prices.

They wanted me to write 'security tools'. Got a hint of something wrong in the second interview and ran a search on their company directors (as multiple company names hid real activities). Found what they actually did and said no to the job.

Now I look again, they seem to be moving ahead in leaps and bounds.

http://domainwatch.org/

**sean** · 01-02-2005, 12:28 PM

Quote:

1) How did you end up in the spyware/adware development business

2) What types of spyware have you written.

3) Where do you see yourself in 5 years.

4) How do you live with yourself?

apsync · 01-02-2005, 12:46 PM

**sean** · 01-02-2005, 12:54 PM

You didn't answer my question...

RoD · 01-02-2005, 01:53 PM

simple, hes a undertalented self centered jackass....

mmm its good to be rod again.

12-29-2004, 01:20 PM	#1
The Brain VA National Guard Join Date: May 2004 Location: Manassas, VA USA Posts: 903	question of the day Whoever said, "I want to write spyware for a living when I grow up...?" How many people here [edit]who are willing to admit[/edit] have been tasked by their companies to write spyware...? On the average.. how much does the average entry level spyware developer make..??!? __________________ "Problem Solving C++, The Object of Programming" -Walter Savitch "Data Structures and Other Objects using C++" -Walter Savitch "Assembly Language for Intel-Based Computers" -Kip Irvine "Programming Windows, 5th edition" -Charles Petzold "Visual C++ MFC Programming by Example" -John E. Swanke "Network Programming Windows" -Jones/Ohlund "Sams Teach Yourself Game Programming in 24 Hours" -Michael Morrison "Mathmatics for 3D Game Programming & Computer Graphics" -Eric Lengyel Last edited by The Brain; 12-29-2004 at 01:41 PM.
The Brain is offline

12-29-2004, 01:37 PM	#2
Stack Overflow C Programmer Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 477	Hello, After reading this article, Sick of Spam? Prepare for Adware, it dawned on me. Maybe there is no salary for making spyware. After all, there are over 10,000 different types to protect yourself from. They get bundled with software, freeware, or any type of installation and bombard your computer after that. Just create them, and push them on the market. - Stack Overflow __________________ Segmentation Fault: I am an error in which a running program attempts to access memory not allocated to it and core dumps with a segmentation violation error. This is often caused by improper usage of pointers, attempts to access a non-existent or read-only physical memory address, re-use of memory if freed within the same scope, de-referencing a null pointer, or (in C) inadvertently using a non-pointer variable as a pointer.
Stack Overflow is offline

12-29-2004, 01:42 PM	#3
The Brain VA National Guard Join Date: May 2004 Location: Manassas, VA USA Posts: 903	i'm seeing colleges offering intro to spyware/adware development comming soon... __________________ "Problem Solving C++, The Object of Programming" -Walter Savitch "Data Structures and Other Objects using C++" -Walter Savitch "Assembly Language for Intel-Based Computers" -Kip Irvine "Programming Windows, 5th edition" -Charles Petzold "Visual C++ MFC Programming by Example" -John E. Swanke "Network Programming Windows" -Jones/Ohlund "Sams Teach Yourself Game Programming in 24 Hours" -Michael Morrison "Mathmatics for 3D Game Programming & Computer Graphics" -Eric Lengyel
The Brain is offline

12-29-2004, 07:56 PM	#4
Aerie Widdle Coding Peon Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 115	How very sad that I can see your prediction being true in my lifetime.... __________________ I live in a giant bucket.
Aerie is offline

12-29-2004, 09:58 PM	#5
RoD Banned Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 6,334	Its already true in some colleges around here, spyware and stuff to that nature is cheap cheap cheap advertising for companies, and its not going to stop. They can utilize such a large percentage of the market at little to no cost.
RoD is offline

12-30-2004, 12:22 PM	#7
dpro I am me, who else? Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 250	I am sure some of the people who write it are not necessarily given a choice, however saying that, I violently dislike spyware because I feel its un-necessary (well I don't care what brittney spears is doing now or whatever else pops up) but also many time they try to disguise it as something else and insult the user's intelligence. My feelings aside (as they really won't change anything) its one of those things I am afraid we will have the deal with, people wanna sell you stuff, and they really couldn't care less if you hate them or not, SOMEONE is more than likely gonna buy the darn thing. I can only support the anti-spyware people and try and contribute as best as I can. The spyware developers probably make as much as a normal software dev, which would probably range between $30-50k per year. Thankfully I work in a place which has no products to sell, so I have never and hopefully never will be asked to write such a thing.
dpro is offline

12-30-2004, 03:40 PM	#8
pablo615 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 120	My spyware bundling overlords keep me locked in a basement in Kansas. I have to churn out spyware day after day, and all they let me eat is stale cheetos. On the plus side the health plan is top notch I do think that a lot ofspyware is written by people who actually think they are helping. They think they are providing a valuable service by selling your browsing habits and such so that you only see advertisements that they assume you would be interested in. They fail to understand that all advertising is annoying, regardless of whether its something you would actually buy or not. Poor deluded fools think they are doing us a favor...
pablo615 is offline

12-30-2004, 04:26 PM	#9
no-one Has a Masters in B.S. Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 2,267	>My spyware bundling overlords keep me locked in a basement in Kansas. I have to churn out spyware day after day, and all they let me eat is stale cheetos. < see even they realize your less than human, making that I am sillyI am sillyI am sillyI am silly. __________________ ADVISORY: This users posts are rated CP-MA, for Mature Audiences only.
no-one is offline

12-31-2004, 06:37 AM	#10
The Brain VA National Guard Join Date: May 2004 Location: Manassas, VA USA Posts: 903	IF anyone here does write adware or spyware for a living.. i understand that you have to put food on the table etc.. i was just have a couple of questions: 1) How did you end up in the spyware/adware development business 2) What types of spyware have you written. 3) Where do you see yourself in 5 years. __________________ "Problem Solving C++, The Object of Programming" -Walter Savitch "Data Structures and Other Objects using C++" -Walter Savitch "Assembly Language for Intel-Based Computers" -Kip Irvine "Programming Windows, 5th edition" -Charles Petzold "Visual C++ MFC Programming by Example" -John E. Swanke "Network Programming Windows" -Jones/Ohlund "Sams Teach Yourself Game Programming in 24 Hours" -Michael Morrison "Mathmatics for 3D Game Programming & Computer Graphics" -Eric Lengyel
The Brain is offline

01-02-2005, 12:21 AM	#11
novacain train spotter Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: near a computer Posts: 3,501	I interviewed for a position that turned out to be for a scam company. Their major business was sending adverts that looked like invoices. Domain name registration was a big one. First aid kits another. All linked to phished sites with false information/ regulations/ prices. They wanted me to write 'security tools'. Got a hint of something wrong in the second interview and ran a search on their company directors (as multiple company names hid real activities). Found what they actually did and said no to the job. Now I look again, they seem to be moving ahead in leaps and bounds. http://domainwatch.org/ __________________ "Man alone suffers so excruciatingly in the world that he was compelled to invent laughter." Friedrich Nietzsche "I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars......the rest I squandered." George Best "If you are going through hell....keep going." Winston Churchill
novacain is offline

01-02-2005, 12:46 PM	#13
apsync Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 89	<removed> Last edited by apsync; 01-02-2005 at 02:02 PM.
apsync is offline

01-02-2005, 12:54 PM	#14
sean Super Moderator Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,775	You didn't answer my question...
sean is offline

01-02-2005, 01:53 PM	#15
RoD Banned Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 6,334	simple, hes a undertalented self centered jackass.... mmm its good to be rod again.
RoD is offline

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