http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/05/the_scrap_value_of_a_hacked_pc.html?wprss=securityfix
really
great article covering all of the potential uses that malware authors and hackers have for your computer once they get a hold of it. I had never realized that there was a whole class of malware devoted strictly to stealing license keys from software (though it makes perfect sense now that I think about it!)