Malware aims to catch you out by installing itself surreptiously. But what about software from responsible, big name suppliers that arguably acts in similiar ways? Consider, for instance, the Chrome browser from Google. Google bills this as a faster way to access the internet and, generally speaking, this is true - it really is quicker for many sites and this can make quite a difference if you are using a low-power machine such as a netbook. But there is a catch; Google update Chrome aggressively on a regular basis (although only a few years old it is already up to version 19. Sorry, did you blink? Make that version 19.0.1.1045). Every time you start Chrome, it checks for updates. If it finds one, it starts downloading it and installing in the background, during which time your computer slows down, noticeably so if you have one of the aforementioned netbooks. Next time Chrome starts, you might even find it looks and behaves differently. Google does this because it is constantly fixing problems and "improving" the product, but you can't easily switch it off as there is no option to do so. You can search the internet as much as you want to try and find out how to stop the automatic updates, but you won't find a reliable answer. In the opinion of some people, software that changes itself in such a manner without your express permission is malware.
Or how about this one. The various bogus security programs out there ("Super Anti-virus 2013 Deluxe" etc) often secretly install themselves, then run and tell you that they have found "problems" but that you need to buy the full version to "fix" those alleged problems (the only problem of course is that you've got a bogus security program. Give your credit card details and you'll have some real problems, though). Naturally, any large, respectable security vendor would act in a way that would distance itself from such despicable sales techniques, wouldn't it? Well, maybe not quite. Both Symantec (Norton) and McAfee have distributed scanner programs with other people's software that installs, tells you it has found problems but gosh - would you believe it? - you'll need to buy something to fix those problems and protect yourself. In both case, they have distributed and installed such programs alongside Adobe's Flash and Shockwave players. At one stage (a few years ago it must be admitted), it was almost impossible to remove the Norton Software Scanner, which had a cute habit of running every time the computer started up, making it almost grind to a halt for 10 minutes. In the opinion of some people, software that behaves like that is malware.
Then there is the problem of unnecessary software "loaders" or "installers". As many people know, there is lots and lots of quality, totally free software available. But where is a safe place to download it from? For many years, CNET's Download.com website was regarded as one of the best places. CNET is owned by US media company CBS, a highly respected $14 billion corporation. But then, CNET introduced something called 'CNET Secure Download'. Try to download a program from CNET and it doesn't do so, rather it downloads and installs the 'CNET Secure Download' program. This is turn then "manages" the download process for you, plus may install other programs that "check" your computer, give you a useless toolbar for your browser and change your home page. That's assuming you were able to find the correct download button in the first place and weren't mislead into clicking the big prominent button that will first download something that "checks your registry for problems" or some other piece of digital snakeskin oil. Software that does this sort of thing is - in the opinion of some people - malware.
The huge problem with all of these underhand techniques is that they make it even harder for the average person to differentiate between the good and the bad. And that - of course - plays prec