Pirated software - the white sugar in the world of IT
Pirated software is one of the modern temptations. On the one hand, the advantage of using it for free is enticing enough, even addictive - like white sugar in sweets. On the other hand, the risks and aggravations are definitely something to think about before committing to an illegal product.
Software piracy is a worldwide problem, especially in countries such as China, the United States, and India. According to the global survey as of 2021, 37% of the software installed on personal computers is unlicensed. Its usage in business environment is higher than you expect. And this finding is not isolated to our latitudes, on the contrary. The good news is that Bulgaria does not appear in top 20 of the most affected countries.
There's a reason pirated software is illegal - it's often a conduit for malicious hacking attacks because the official manufacturer isn't committed to upgrading it. Like IT support company, sometimes we find ourselves faced with serious software problems, for the solution of which we cannot turn to the representatives of the relevant product in Bulgaria precisely because of the lack of an original version. That's why we choose to focus on partnerships based on legal products, which makes the level of our services accented high. Everything else is in the realm of uncertainty, where a company's business goals are put under a lot of question marks.
And in order not to offer only ready-made findings, let's move on to specifics. You can draw your own conclusions with it.
Unhealthy environment
In the process of obtaining or using pirated software, there is a 1:3 chance that you will encounter dangerous malware that will cause irreparable damage (ie, identity theft, loss of personal data such as credit card and banking information). Pirated software and the networks that distribute pirated software have been found to be carriers of viruses, malware, spyware, Trojan horses, and other unwanted software.
Most often, the consequences of using illegal programs can be:
- Raised chances of the software getting corrupted
- Support access denied for the program such as upgrade and bug fixes
- There is no warranty and the software cannot be updated
- Elevated risk of infecting your computer with malware, viruses or adware
- Access to financial and confidential information, transactions and personal records, identity theft, data loss and destruction
- Delayed work on the device
- legal consequences, due to copyright infringement
After penetrating the security of a device through unlicensed software, malware can travel across networks – if one family member downloads it, then the entire family's devices can be compromised. It's even worse for businesses with networks of hundreds or even thousands of computers. A person who downloads illegal software to a work computer, even if they use their home network to make the download, can carry malware throughout the business network. And he will hardly know about it.
Software companies like Microsoft regularly provide security patches to prevent program vulnerabilities. These official security updates are not compatible with pirated programs. In most cases, pirated software is not supported by the IT service company. If you run into problems with your pirated program, you're on your own.
Manifestations of piracy
Pirated software can end up on computers without the user even knowing. This usually happens when consumers or companies order computers with pre-installed software. If your software ends up being an illegal copy, you can report it.
Software piracy is the act of stealing software that is protected by law. This theft involves copying, distributing, modifying or selling the software. This is usually done through a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing system, usually found in the form of online auction sites and blogs. There are five main types of software piracy.
- Softlifting – when someone buys a version of the software and downloads it on multiple computers, even though the software license is only for one. This often happens in a business or school setting and is usually done to save money. Softlifting is the most common type of software piracy.
- Increased client server usage – when too many people on the network use one master copy of the program at the same time. This often happens when businesses are on a local network and all employees download the software to use. This becomes a form of software piracy if the license is not intended to be used in this way.
- Loading hard disk - a type of commercial software piracy where someone buys a legal version of the software and then reproduces, copies or installs it on computer hard drives. The person then sells the product. This often happens in computer resale shops, and buyers are not always aware that the additional software they are buying is illegal.
- Forgery – when software programs are illegally duplicated and sold as authentic. Counterfeit software is usually sold at a discounted price compared to legitimate software.
Face to face with malware
As mentioned, the use of illegal software is an open door to attacks of various types and scales. The organization Digital Citizens Alliance found that a third of illegal software contained malicious add-ons, and software downloaded from illegal sources was 28 times more likely to have "hooks".
Much of the smarter malware hides and is practically difficult to identify. You may be using your device for a long time without realizing that it is infected. We meet you with several popular malicious codes worldwide:
Predator the Thief steals information such as passwords from browsers and can steal cryptocurrency wallets. Or it can take pictures using the camera, screenshots, which allows it to collect a lot of personal data.
Azorult Infostealer also steals information such as browsing history, usernames and passwords, cookies and cryptocurrency information.
Among the popular Trojans, let's mention the following:
Win32.Generic! BT: Trojan code that gives the attacker unauthorized, remote access to the infected computer.
Bprotector: A Trojan horse that modifies the infected computer's default system settings to make it harder to remove. It then acts as a gateway to other malware and allows attackers to take control of the computer.
iBryte: A browser hijacker that looks like live news on the homepage but serves spam ads. While this might just be annoying, iBryte also tracks browser history, collects personal information, and transmits the information to remote hackers.
Pirate Windows 10
Millions of people use pirated Windows all over the world. And frankly, there's a reason they do, especially in developing countries where the price of a Windows license is equal to someone's monthly salary. The biggest advantage of a pirated copy of Windows is, of course, the fact that it's free.
Let's take a look at how such a scenario works. Pirated Windows 10 is activated with Windows Activator. We won't elaborate on how this tool works, the principle is quite simple - you install the pirated operating system, open the activator, press one button and you have a fully functional Windows 10 operating system.
The performance of your pirated Windows 10 highly depends on the quality of the activator. If the Activator is "good", you should be able to run Windows 10 without problems for months. If you choose an "untrusted" activator, you can end up with a broken system from day one. But no matter how much "quality" activator you use, you never know when the system might fail. To make your pirated version of Windows 10 work, pirates need to make certain changes to its ecosystem. These changes often cripple it in terms of features.
With pirated versions of a Microsoft program like Office, installing another pirated program can lead to more problems – more security holes that can attract hacking sharks. Also, buying apps from the Microsoft Store won't be the most pleasant experience, as Microsoft will notice that you're making a purchase from a non-genuine system and you might end up with a banned account. Windows Genuine Advantage, a component of Windows 10, is innovative copyright protection system, which notes the details of Windows licensing while using other licensed Microsoft services. If you read the Windows 10 license agreement, it includes a clause that allows Microsoft to actively search for any pirated software and then disable it. This content is not limited to software created by Microsoft and includes any other software available on your computer.
If it detects that you are using illegally copied versions, a warning sign will appear on the right side of your desktop, warning you that your programs or windows will stop working after a certain period, which is about 14-30 days.
And curiously, all Microsoft users can upgrade to Windows 10 even if their previous version was pirated. This is part of Microsoft's current strategy to promote legal software.
Windows 10 comes with a comprehensive security suite including antivirus software, a strong firewall, and anti-phishing technologies. All these services last for the lifetime of your device, but they definitely won't be as strong if they can't be upgraded - which is exclusive to the authentic version.
Microsoft is supposed to provide a free upgrade to Windows 11 for everyone who owns an original version of Windows 10, but as of today, that's just a theory.
Budget ideas
The prices of the licensed products are sometimes not in the pocket of a company or a household. Here are some ideas to help you carry out a range of activities without being on the edge of security or the law.
Use the free version of the software, albeit with limited features. Most vendors now provide free software that you can use for life.
Microsoft provides free Microsoft Office to eligible students and academic organizations. Some apps may offer free trials or give you free access to their program under certain conditions. You may just need to use an online or mobile version of their software if you create an account, just like Microsoft Office 365 does.
If you don't mind spending a little money, you can buy a feature-limited version of this software that will meet your needs.
Use alternative software: A competing application may want to attract users by offering free premium features.
Geletron works with all official distributors of software products. We offer a wide variety of options and are committed to choosing the right solution for you. Look for us, to assist you.
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