Illegal software and malware closely linked – Managers Online

Organizations reduce risk of cyber security incidents by not using unlicensed software

March 2, 2015 – There is a link between pirated software and malware on PCs. According to a new study commissioned by BSA | The Software Alliance. The analysis, conducted by IDC, a significant association between the amount of unlicensed PC software in a country and the amount of malware found in that country.

The implications for governments, businesses and users are clear: avoid unlicensed software on their networks helps reduce the risks of cyber security incidents.
 
Malware infections
 “Malware infections can cause major problems Organizations are looking for the best way to protect themselves against.” Said Jodie Kelley, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of BSA | The Software Alliance. “The analysis shows that there is indeed a link between the use of pirated software and malware. This means that good software management is an essential first step to reduce cyber security risks.”
 Research firm IDC in the statistical analysis compares the installed pirated software on PCs in 81 countries with the amount of detected malware on these PCs. This data is maintained by BSA | The Software Alliance member Microsoft. The analysis shows a strong positive correlation (r = 0.79) between the amount of unlicensed software and the number of malware incidents. Further analyzes show that the amount of pirated software in a country strong predictor is the number of times a country is faced with malware.

Illegal software
 The research builds on the flagship research BSA | The Software Alliance over the global use of unlicensed software. The BSA Global Software Survey Report 2014 shows that in the previous year was 25 percent of the installed unlicensed software in the Netherlands, compared with 43 percent globally. Also, the survey shows that the prevalence of malware the main reason for computer users to use legitimate software. Of all the risks that pirated software entails, sees 64 percent of users unauthorized access to hackers as the main risk, and 54 percent of data loss.

A full version of the research Unlicensed Software and Cyber ​​Security Threats can be downloaded here.