Hackers, spammers and spies go into overdrive in December and January, when unsuspecting neophytes unwrap new computers, connect to the internet, and, too often, get hit with viruses, spyware and other nefarious programs.

"People want to get on the net right away, just like they want to put together and start using any Christmas present," said Tony Redmond, chief technology officer of Palo Alto computer giant Hewlett-Packard, whose new PCs ship with 60 days of virus and adware protection. "They should be warned that the net is a very, very dangerous place."

At Wired.

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