Conclusion

Basically, we need to invest broadly in security research. Basic research is risky; it doesn't always pay off. That's why companies have stopped funding it. Bell Labs is gone because nobody could afford it after the AT&T breakup. But the root cause of its demise was a desire for higher efficiency and short-term profitability - not unreasonable in an unregulated business. Government research can be used to balance that desire by funding long- term research. We should let the NSF and other funding agencies decide how to spend the money with minimal micromanagement from Congress; the same with the national laboratories. Yes, some research will sound silly to a layman. But no one can predict what will be useful for what. And compared to corporate tax breaks and other subsidies, this is chump change” (Schneier, 2009).

Just because something is impossible doesn’t mean we shouldn’t at least attempt to tackle it the best we can. There are many different ways to go about fighting spyware and other malicious programs. The key is that there needs to be continuous efforts to keep enhancing online security there are worldwide, continuous countering efforts to do the opposite.