Computer Associates' (CA's) PestPatrol released a study showing the top "spyware" applications, but the firm - whose business benefits from increased concern about virsuses and spyware - lumped applications like the Kazaa file sharing application in with nasty applications that don't ask permission before installing themselves. A CA spokesperson softpedaled the spyware label to a CNET reporter, calling the programs "pests" rather than spyware, but the company's site continues to indicate a greater spyware threat by including popular applications invited onto computers, including some adware applications. The list is reminiscent of Earthlink's somewhat misleading research that includes even the presence of tracking cookies as "spyware."