Why aren'y spyware/malware manufacturers boycotted or harassed?

General Questions
#1

As mentioned in another thread, I seem to have some malware on my computer.

What’s interesting about this stuff is that although it was all loaded onto my computer without my permission, the companies that make it seem to be legitimate firms, or at least some of them are. SurfSideKick, a real nasty one, is a company that actually advertises their junk, for instance. And most such companies do business with other legitimate businesses.

Given how much this stuff is hated by all Internet users with morals and ethics, why are these businesses not under virtually non-stop attack? Why do I not hear about them being picketed or protested against, or subject to withering denial-of-service attacks by hordes of furious geeks?

Not that I am advocating such things, but I do find it curious that so much effort is dedicated to coming up with software solutions to their attacks, but I never hear about anyone going after the manufacturers of what are, let’s face it, viruses.

#2

I am not sure about SSK, but many spyware perveyors are located beyond the reach of US law, in eastern Europe, the former Soviet republics, or Africa. And they continue to spew their crap because it is so profitable. As for their clients who advertise on their pop-ups, most of them are bogus Viagra sites, porn, gambling and suspect mortgage lenders. None are worried in the least that they might get a bad reputation; most aren’t around long enough in any one incarnation to present much of a target for DOS attacks.

#3

But there are some ligit business that use these stratagies. One of the big private collages in Milwaukee has used pop ups to advertise, and I’m sure I’ve seen other [legit] companies advertise in less then ethical ways. The only defense I’ve ever heard from these companies is that they pay an advertising firm X amount of dollars to get their name out there, and they can’t control what the ad firm does from there. Sounds like a cop out to me.

#4

Unpopular as they might be, pop-ups don’t really qualify as spyware/malware, unless they are actually installed on and activated from your own computer.

If they are merely caused to occur through the use of html and/or javascript, they are pretty easy to block, and certainly not in the same class as stuff that actually installs itself on your computer and runs after you have left the offending website.