zombie PCs: $2,000-$3,000

USATODAY.com. This is, of course, the next bit of the saga in spam-related pestilence. Spammers get around the restrictions they sometimes encounter by planting mini-programmes in other people's machines through what are commonly called viruses and then these are used to fire of bursts of spam. Read all about it. If you wnat to see the issue from the point of view of a victim whose machine was zombified then read this. In fact this latter article goes on to explain how phishing works and altogether gives you enough info to be concerned to make sure you try ot keep your machine spring-clean as much as poss.