Pirated software puts your business at a high risk of virus attacks, malware and
spyware. Apart from the loss of productivity, resources and money, pirated software
puts your company at a real risk of losing important data and your reputation. An
excerpt from the
IDC white paper shows the following risks:
- Infection from unwanted code - running from mild to severe. On the mild side
is annoying code, like adware, with its constant barrage of pop-up ads and potential
home page hijacking. More destructive code, like Trojans, can potentially consume
system resources until a device becomes inoperable. Finally there is potentially
devastating code, like bots and keyloggers, which can take over a machine to relay
spam, store illegal files, or give third parties access to sensitive data.
- Degradation of security protections - malicious and unwanted software like
that found in our tests has been known to prevent antivirus software and firewalls
from running and/or receiving updates. Some adware even produces pop-up ads for
counterfeit spyware removal tools sometimes asking the user to pay for software
to clean the ads just created.
- Degradation of application performance -security problems don’t always
present themselves as such. In many cases, the user simply notices a system
problem and calls the IT department. Spyware is especially known to slow network
performance or Internet access or to create log-in problems and remote access issues.
|
Virus
A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer
without the permission or knowledge of the owner. A virus can spread from one computer
to another when a user sends the infected file or program over a network or the
Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or
USB drive.
Spyware
Spyware is computer software that is installed on a personal computer to collect
information about a user, their computer or browsing habits without the owner’s
consent.
Spyware programs can interfere with user control of the computer in ways such as
installing additional software and redirecting your Web browser. Spyware is known
to change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home
pages, and/or loss of Internet or functionality of other programs.
Malware
Malware is a combination of the words malicious and software, and is software designed
to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's consent.
Malware is generally designed for a profit motive, either legal (forced advertising)
or criminal. Infected computers are used to send email spam, or to host contraband
data such as child pornography.
Adware
Adware or advertising-supported software is any software package which automatically
plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer after the software is
installed on it or while the application is being used. They generally result in
a slowdown of the PC
|
Using genuine Microsoft software, businesses can
be confident that they will have access to the latest features, security, and support,
which will help improve productivity and expand the capabilities of their PC. They
will also have access to new innovations and
offerings available only to genuine Microsoft software customers.
