Pirated software source may carry unwanted surprise

A recent report from the Business Software Alliance (BSA)states that 41% of the software on PCs is pirated. Not only is this illegal, it is a serious security threat. Cyber criminals, taking advantage of the opportunity leverage the desire of individuals to "get something for nothing" use the pirated software packages to insert malware into gullible hosts.

Pirated software is most likely not patched (software vendors use technology to determine if you have a valid copy of the software before doing updates). Thus know vulnerabilities are left open for exploit.

The BSA report also indicates that areas with geographies with high levels of software piracy also have high levels of malware infections. Mexico and Brazil are nations with high piracy and infection rates. See below