An Overview of International Cyber-Security Awareness Raising and Educational Initiatives (2011)

Campaign Name:

Stop Badware

Organisation:

Stop Badware with Google, PayPal, and Mozilla and sponsored by MySpace

Main URL:

http://www.stopbadware.org/

Dates:

Not mentioned

Costs:

Receives donations

Topics covered:

– Get involved (Prevent badware, remove badware, report badware, share your story, help others, track badware trends, stay connected)

– About StopBadware [sic]

– Who We Are (staff, board of directors, working group, our community, partners)

– What We Do (Badware website clearinghouse, stop badware stories, community, badware alerts, research publications)

– What is badware? (How can I avoid badware?, how can I get rid of badware?, how can I make informed decisions about downloads?, how can I help?, our software guidelines)

– FAQ (

– Badware Clearinghouse

(All topics available from left bar on home page)

Target Audience:

– Internet Users

– Website Owners

– Software Producers

Methodology:

– Provides online literature and guidelines on how to prevent and treat badware

Evaluation:

Not found

Additional Information:

StopBadware encourage consumers to join their effort through a five-step process.

1) Individuals should prevent or remove badware on their computers.

2) Users should clean and secure their website to protect their website’s visitors.

3) Consumers should report a badware URL to the Clearinghouse.

4) Users should learn from and contribute to Stop adware’s online community, BadwareBusters.org.

5) Users should share their experiences with badware through StopBadware Stories.

Additionally, StopBadware

‘cultivates a network of individuals and organizations that share a common goal of eliminating viruses, spyware, and other bad software ... by fighting badware, StopBadware and its constituents are helping to build a world in which people are the masters of their own machines. In this world, [consumers can] make informed decisions about how and when hardware, software, and network connections are used.’

StopBadware was established

‘at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society under the direction of Berkman faculty co-directors Prof. Jonathan Zittrain and Prof. John Palfrey. In January 2010, StopBadware became a standalone Non-profit organization. Several prominent technology companies, such as Google, PayPal, and Mozilla, support the organization. (See Partners.) The board of directors consists of experts like Prof. Palfrey and Internet pioneers Vint Cerf and Esther Dyson.’

Sources:

1. ‘Home’ Stop Badware <http://www.stopbadware.org/home/index> (accessed 15 June 2010).