With hundreds of new worms and viruses created each month, these automated programs for PCs can be effective, Cluley said.

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Georgia's attackers employed "botnets, " or malicious automated programs that take root undetected in far-flung computers and barrage their targets with useless data.

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Though I will wonder which hedge fund is active, or if automated programs have kicked in, it will not influence my fundamental outlook on the markets.

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Other models include firms that developed automated trading programs once real-time data became available on Wall Street.

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While free Web services produced just 6% of the Internet's pill-hawking and scam-pitching e-mail a year ago, automated spam programs exploiting Web e-mail services now produce more than 12% of digital junk mail, with Microsoft's Webmail services alone accounting for around 4%.

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Too often voice of the customer programs are based on automated surveys and tech support feedback.

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Guys like New Relic have blazed the trail for infrastructure startups who want to move away from traditional sales teams and towards automated, self-serve acquisition programs.

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