Pirated Security Software Loaded with Trojans and Spyware

The plethora of software available on the Internet can offer bargains to the potential customer, but beware of pirated software copies! Apart from the risk that it will not function correctly there is the risk of the software corrupting or crashing systems and introducing viruses, Trojans or spyware.

Security Watch at e-week highlighted these risks in a recent article, quoting one source as saying that ‘It's the same problem that's plagued name brand or copyrighted industries that produce high-end products, such as handbags’. Most victims are individuals looking for cheap software, but we should all remember the risks of introducing corrupt or infected files into our employers’ systems – where the potential direct and consequential losses could be substantial. Security Watch offers tips and reminders for buying software to help minimize the risks – but the best advice is that if you cannot be sure of the source, don’t buy it!

Follow this link to Security Watch’s report:

http://securitywatch.eweek.com/phishing_and_fraud/pirated_security_software_worse_than_none_at_all.html

The new ARC Training Security Management Stage 1 IT Security Handout is almost complete and detials of how to obtain this 40-page easy-to-understand guideline to more secure computing will be published on the blog shortly. The handout will be free as a PDF file to all past delegates of Security Management Stage 1 or SMAP.