According to a new study conducted by IDC and National University of Singapore (NUS), consumers worldwide are expected to spend 25 billion a year this year and spend 1,2 billion hours, due to the security threats and cost of computer repairs stemming from malware which is in pirated software.
On the other hand, businesses around the world are expected to spend 500 billion 2014 dollars to address issues related to malware which are deliberately located in pirated software. Of these, 127 billions of dollars will be spent on security issues and 364 billions of dollars in data breaches.
The study, titled "Linking Pirated Software and Cyber Security Violations," also revealed that 60 per cent of consumers surveyed say their biggest fear of "infected" software is data, files or personal data loss, while their next fear concerns unauthorized Internet transactions (51 percent) and email piracy, social networking and bank accounts (50 percent). However, 43 percent of the same respondents do not install security updates, leaving their computers exposed to cyber criminals.
Government officials have expressed concern about the potential impact of cyber security threats on their nations. According to research, οι κυβερνήσεις ανησυχούν περισσότερο για την απώλεια επιχειρηματικών εμπορικών μυστικών ή ανταγωνιστικών πληροφοριών (59 τοις εκατό), τη μη εξουσιοδοτημένη πρόσβαση σε εμπιστευτικές κυβερνητικές πληροφορίες (55 τοις εκατό), και τις επιπτώσεις των κυβερνοεπιθέσεων σε υποδομές ζωτικής σημασίας (55 τοις εκατό). Εκτιμάται ότι οι κυβερνήσεις θα μπορούσαν να χάσουν περισσότερα από 50 δισεκατομμύρια δολάρια για την αντιμετώπιση των δαπανών που σχετίζονται με malware in pirated software.
The study was released as part of Microsoft's "Play It Safe" campaign, a global initiative to raise awareness of the link between malware and piracy. Additional findings from the survey include the following:
• Almost the two a third of business losses ($315 billion) will be in the hands of organized crime.
• Almost 20 percent of pirated software in business is installed by employees.
• Twenty-eight percent of respondents reported security breaches that cause network, computer or website interruptions that occur every few months or more. 65 percent of these holidays are due to malware.
The National University of Singapore's laboratory analysis of 203 new computers loaded with pirated software found that 61 percent of those computers were already infected with unsafe malware, including Trojans, worms, viruses, hack tools, root kits and adware. These computers, purchased through resellers and PC stores in 11 markets, included more than 100 threats.
"It is extremely worrying that brand new computers come pre-infected with dangerous malware due to pirated software, making users and companies vulnerable to security breaches," said Professor Biplab Sikdar, of the Department of Computer Engineering. of Singapore. "University laboratory tests show that cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting the insecure supply chain of piracy to spread malware and posing a serious threat to computer security. We will only recommend the use of genuine software for online security and cyber security. "
The global study was conducted among 1.700 consumers, IT workers, chief information officers, and government officials in Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and analyzed 203 computers in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States. This year's research is an extension of IDC's 2013 study, The Dangerous World of Counterfeit and Pirated Software, which looked at the attitudes of government officials, as well as analyzing new markets, making the financial connection to crime in cyberspace.
Whether it's an individual user, a small business or even a state-owned organization, everyone is encouraged to buy new computers from trusted sources to make sure they get genuine software. Microsoft is committed to protecting its unsuspecting consumers from downloading or buying non-genuine software that expose victims to malicious software that can lead to identity theft, data loss, and system failures. Customers are encouraged to visit http://www.microsoft.com/security to learn more about malware and ensure that their devices are not infected by malware. If someone is found malware, the site offers tools to remove the infection.
