counterfeit software

A new study commissioned by Microsoft and carried out by researchers at IDC has found that most counterfeit software includes some kind of malware. The researchers also estimate that the total value of the counterfeit software market now exceeds ... $100 billion. IDC recently published its findings in a report titled "The Dangerous World of Counterfeit and Pirated Software: How Pirated Software Can Compromise the Cybersecurity of Consumers, Enterprises, and Nations ... and the Resultant Costs in Time and Money." Most Counterfeit Software Laced with Malware In that report (which can be viewed in ... (view more)

Days after a police raid in Ghana seized dozens of counterfeit versions of their software, Microsoft has once again set their sights on another international software retailer. This time they're pursuing legal action against popular UK electronics ... company Comet, after uncovering the sale of over 94,000 sets of counterfeit Windows CDs. According to Microsoft, Comet produced counterfeit recovery CDs for Windows Vista and Windows XP before shipping them off to be sold in their stores across the UK. David Finn, associate general counsel of worldwide anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting at ... (view more)

Security officials in one African country are helping to solve an ongoing problem for Microsoft: piracy and the sale of counterfeit software. Police in Ghana have recently announced a successful raid on the premises of Skynet Computers and ... Accessories, discovering and seizing more than three dozen allegedly counterfeit copies of Microsoft software the company had stored at that location. All the illegal copies found during the raid were confiscated and removed from the Skynet facility (a total of 39 units of suspect pirated material), but local authorities believe the original source of the ... (view more)