With analysts predicting that spyware will replace mass-mailing viruses as the biggest security threat to consumers and businesses this year, suppliers of anti-spyware tools will also have a banner year.
Spyware consists of unwittingly downloaded software that secretly relays private information, such as tracking a personal computer user's online habits, from the PC to a third party.
These malicious programs have been around for some time and were initially considered a nuisance, just like the online pop-up advertisements delivered by spyware's close relative, adware.
That attitude has changed as these programs have increasingly contributed to a serious loss of personal privacy and productivity.
Spyware can cause computers to slow down to a crawl because the programs dominate system resources and bandwidth.
A recent survey by Forrester Research found that 75 per cent of businesses, big and small, planned to buy anti-spyware programs to protect their networks and users.