Spyware and adware has become so prevalent on the internet that is has even taken over viruses as the most persistent problem on the internet. This increase is caused by the sophistication of botnets and targeted marketing techniques. A number of botnets are created by the fuel for spyware and adware which has recently become a multibillion dollar industry.

As technology makes it easier to launch targeted attacks the number of spyware and adware infections is expected to increase. Especially as the new year will bring in Instant Messaging ecosystems and the number of social networking sites increase. Since these allow easy access to contact information and user interests. The number of spyware and adware infections and attacks are expected to increase in the new year in even higher percentages then they did this year.