subject: The Hidden Cost of Free Software [print this page] There's also the ever-present danger of encrypted bugs, trojans and malware. Whilst the vast majority of people producing freeware wouldn't even contemplate infecting their program with a virus on purpose, a lot of freeware is open source, meaning that people can adapt and change the source code at will. That also includes the less scrupulous who may get some kind of kick in sending out infected programs. The consequences, as we all know, can be devastating.
