In 2014, Brazilian consumers will spend around US$ 700 million and 44.2 million hours to solve problems caused by virus infections in pirated software. Worldwide, this figure could reach US$ 25 billion and 1.2 billion hours this year. The estimates are part of a study commissioned by Microsoft from consultancy IDC and the National University of Singapore. The survey was released today as part of the global initiative Play It Safe.
In the sphere of Brazilian companies, the total expense arising from issues such as data recovery and resolution of identity theft caused by infections in illegal software will be US$ 4.6 billion in 2014, estimates the survey. Globally, the cost to enterprises will be US$ 491 billion, with US$ 364 billion to deal with data loss and another US$ 127 billion due to security concerns.
Data loss, the use of information for unauthorized transactions/fraud, and the invasion of emails, social networks and bank accounts are at the top of the list of biggest fears of consumers surveyed. These items were mentioned by 60%, 51% and 50% people respectively. Despite this, 43% of the same respondents do not install security updates, leaving computers more vulnerable to attacks.
The survey also mapped the main fears of governments regarding the activity of hacker organizations. Mentioned by 59% of respondents, breach of trade secrets ranks at the top of the rankings of concerns, followed by access to confidential information (55%) and cyber attacks on critical infrastructure (55%).
Among companies, the “bring your own equipment” (BYOD) phenomenon has been shown to be another challenge in relation to the infection of pirated systems. According to the survey, 27% of employees install their own software on their work computers, accounting for almost 20% of the total pirated software present in companies. Latin America has the highest rate of contributors installing illegal systems on corporate devices, at 38%.
Due to the high rates of use of pirated software, the Asia-Pacific region will be responsible for most of the expenses of both companies and consumers. In the countries of this region, the amounts spent as a result of infections in illegal systems will be US$ 59 billion and US$ 10.8 billion, in that order.
“Digital gangs are taking advantage of every loophole they can find, causing devastating reputational and financial damage to consumers, businesses and governments. In this context, the use of illegal software appears as another opportunity for these criminal organizations to act”, says Vanessa Fonseca, intellectual property and anti-piracy manager at Microsoft Brazil.
The study entitled “The relationship between pirated software use and digital security breaches” surveyed 1,700 consumers, IT professionals, chief technology executives and government officials in 14 countries. They are: Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.
“Using pirated software is like walking in a minefield: you never know when you'll find something unpleasant, but if you do, the result can be quite destructive,” said John Gantz, head of research at IDC. “The financial risks are considerable, and the potential losses can send a profitable company down the drain. Buying legitimate software is cheaper in the long run – at least you know you won't get any freebies in the form of malware.”
Based on the expertise carried out on 203 machines with embedded pirated software, the research identified a curious fact: 61% of the equipment was pre-infected with malware, including Trojans and other powerful viruses. These computers, purchased from resellers and PC stores in 11 countries, included more than 100 discrete threats. In Brazil, the rate of pre-infected computers detected by the study was 47%, a rate higher than that of countries such as the United States and Turkey, but lower than that of nations such as China and Thailand.
“It is highly concerning that new brands of computers are pre-infected with dangerous malware due to pirated software, leaving users and companies vulnerable to security breaches,” said Professor Biplab Sikdar from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore. . “Forensic tests carried out by the university clearly indicate how cyber criminals are using the piracy supply chain to spread malware and compromise PC security in critical ways,” said the academic.
View the full study and other content clicking here. Also access the site of Microsoft Brazil's anti-piracy initiatives.
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