VP Label. Nicholas Ker. December 7, Software piracy is a rampant problem that has been growing with the increased internet speeds on offer. Do users really understand the risks that they are exposing themselves to? But is it all worth it? The Software Alliance is an advocate for the global software industry; members include Apple and Amazon as well. Viruses And Malware Are Just The Start You know those little pop-ups your anti-virus program tries to warn you about but you ignore them anyway?
Data compiled from the Digital Alliance. You can find out more about Microsoft Windows 10 here. This article is written in collaboration with Microsoft. Also Read. Categories: Products , Lifestyle , Entrepreneur , Malaysian. Subscribe to our newsletter Stay updated with Vulcan Post weekly curated news and updates. Angela Teng 14 Jan This is often a fairly low bar. As such, when employees illegally download software on company property, especially if used in the course of their jobs, the employers may be found guilty of copyright infringement.
Detecting software piracy is no longer reserved for sophisticated intelligence agencies and cyber police and can easily be traceable. These details are linked to the employer through open source methods such as whois. Serial keys of illegally downloaded software will often not match the authorized keys known by the copyright holder; thus exposing that the program has been cracked. Once this information is known, copyright holders can take swift legal action against infringing companies.
This includes filing a complaint with the police and the local courts. Employers should be aware that deleting illegal software can also be tracked, and is often seen by the courts as the company acknowledging its own wrong-doing and possibly tampering with evidence. In order to minimize the risk of liability for software violations, employers can take various steps to safeguards their rights and minimize the risk of exposing themselves to copyright infringement.
For one, the employer can conduct regular audits of employee software usage which includes tracking all software downloads on company property. Secondly, the employer can maintain a well-organized library of software licenses, and make sure they are up to date. Lastly, it is important to educate staff by both ensuring that employee policies are clear about the risks and penalties of software piracy and via regular training to employees about copyright and similar legal issues.
I come from a country where a former president thanked Bill Gates during his brief visit for the pirated version of Windows. The argument was that using pirated software gave our IT experts the chance to become familiar with the most used software on the planet.
That was a long time ago, and things changed for the better significantly. What hasn't changed is the fact pirated software involves risks that can no longer be ignored. Software crackers are no longer in the game just for bragging rights. With so much financial information moving online, hackers are working hard to gain access, and pirated software is one of the easiest ways to compromise your computer.
Firstly, pirated software programs very often contain malware, even if it doesn't look like it. The crack developers often note that their crack might trigger an antivirus alert and that those alerts are just false positives, but how can you be sure?
And if it isn't the software itself, it could be anything else you accidentally downloaded along the way. Websites that host pirated software often contain a number of ads and fake download buttons, all of which run the risk of you downloading a malicious file. Malware like this can slow down your PC, create backdoors for hackers to access your PC remotely, delete or lock your files behind a ransom, and even steal personal information. And you're at a much greater risk of getting them if you pirate software.
Another way software piracy poses a threat is that you miss out on the updates pushed by the developers of the software, which in turn means you miss out on any security vulnerability patches made by the developer. New vulnerabilities are discovered every day, so staying up to date on patching them is crucial for security. You still always want to use a VPN. To learn everything about how this can protect you , please read our VPN guide. We also have an article on the best free VPNs for you to check out.
Please always take the time to prepare yourself if you ever need to use BitTorrent. We have found two websites that could be of assistance to you. The latter helps you avoid revealing your IP address effectively.
Torrent Download Risks not getting busted! Home About Guide Search. Software Piracy Risks and Torrenting Guide. Reduced Software Quality Additionally, pirated software often misses features, stops working after a certain period of time and cannot be updated.
How to torrent safely If you do not want to listen to use and still download torrents, please make sure that you use a secure BitTorrent client. Further Reading Please always take the time to prepare yourself if you ever need to use BitTorrent. Previous Why VPNs are dangerous!
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