Eric Howes is responsible for spearheading Sunbelt's threat research initiatives and manages the talented efforts of Sunbelt's threat research team. Formerly an instructor and researcher at the University of Illinois, Eric has been studying spyware behavior for over five years. Widely regarded as one of the foremost experts on spyware and its malicious mechanisms, Howes has served as a panelist at the CNET Antispyware Workshop and is an active and well-known participant in many of the security forums dedicated to spyware research including SpywareWarrior.com and DSLReports.com/BroadbandReports.com.He regularly updates and maintains a number of spyware block lists, including the IE-SPYAD Restricted sites list for Internet Explorer, to supply internet users with resources to protect their privacy and security on the internet. In recognition of this work, Microsoft awarded him its MVP (Most Valued Professional) Award. Howes holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Virginia, an M.A. in English Literature, and is completing his M.S. in Library Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign