According to a survey conducted by Consumer
Reports in the U.S.A, in the third annual State of the Internet
Survey in 2006, over the previous two years Americans have
lost approximately US$8 billion through computer viruses,
spyware and ph
ishing scams. Viruses alone cost consumers a
total
of US
$5.2 billion for replacing computers and hiring
technical support
people to repair their computers [4].