Counterfeit Software Increase Risks to Vulnerability for Organizations

Harrison Group, a unit of Microsoft, recently commissioned a study which found that organizations using unlicensed copies of Microsoft's Windows operating software are more vulnerable to get malicious content on their computer systems that could lead to loss of data, unlike those using authentic software, as reported by idm on October 6, 2008.

The latest study reveals that pirated software are expected to have offending and potentially malevolent code hiding inside it.

Furthermore, the study surveyed 1,600 medium-sized organizations (those having 24 to 500 computers) in Brazil, the US, UK and China, It showed that 890 or 56.3% of the companies had unlicensed software deployed on their systems.

Moreover, Harrison Group reveals that the medium-sized organizations have 43% more chances of facing grave computer-related problems because of malicious content inside the pirated applications. Also, 73% of organizations have greater possibilities of suffering from loss of their customers' data.

Besides, the security specialists state that the financial cost to companies and business organizations to recover from just one incident of compromised or lost data on account of malicious and pirated programs on just one workstation can mount to several thousands dollars. Moreover, the savings due to usage of pirated software could be nullified with just one breach of security.

The security specialists also pointed out that using pirated software, the entire IT infrastructure could be exposed to vulnerabilities. As the whole IT infrastructure relies on the authenticity of software to attain its objective, it is important to employ genuine software so that businesses can deliver a secured, up-to-date and reliable service to their customers.

Meanwhile, another research by IDC and Microsoft reveals the risks that computer users take while installing fake software. It discovered that there was a considerable risk of encountering malicious programs by following this path. The study conducted a test of 348 counterfeit Windows XP compact discs from 17 countries and discovered that 34% of the discs could not be installed completely, while 43% contained spyware or other malicious code.

Related article: Contract Killer Spam Scam

» SPAMfighter News - 13-10-2008

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