From a recently published study on the level of pirated software in nine countries in Asia, Microsoft has uncovered a disturbing trend. And it has found almost all PCs come pre-loaded with pirated software and malware. Thereinto, 91% of PCs in India load with pirated software. This post will show you much information about this survey.

When it comes to software, one of the first companies that come to your mind may be Microsoft. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, a manufacturer of the world’s most popular Windows operating system, has made a significant contribution to the development of personal computing.

Recently, Microsoft has performed a survey in nine countries in Asia including India. The purpose of this survey is to check the penetration of pirated software in personal computers.

91% of PCs from India Have Pirated Software

Microsoft purchased 166 personal computers from multiple local sources in nine nations and tested them between May and July 2018. The findings that they have found are clearly disconcerting.

And more than four in five (83%) of all the computers come pre-loaded with pirated software. 91% of PCs in India load with pirated software, followed by Indonesia at 90 %, Taiwan at 73%, Singapore at 55 %, and the Philippines at 43%.

Besides, the software piracy levels in some nations are unbelievably high. According to the test from Microsoft, 100% of the computers bought in South Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam come with pirated software.

What’s more, according to Mary Jo Schrade, Assistant General Counsel and Regional Director of Digital Crimes Unit in Asia at the Microsoft in Singapore, 85% of computers with pirated software in India also load with some types of dangerous malware.

These appalling results raise concerns about major security issues that are related to software piracy. Keep reading to learn much information.

Malware Brings Security Threat to Indian PCs

When using pirated software, some common problems may happen, such as crashes, bugs and no support & support. Additionally, other potentially harmful risks could happen.

Malware may include backdoor software that could be used by attackers to secretly utilize your PC’s power and performance for someone else’s use. This probably slows down your computer.

Besides, cyber fraudsters may plant malware into pirated software that is able to sneak into your personal files including sensitive information like family pictures, banking information, and healthcare documents.

And hackers use them for ill intentions. For example, ransom is demanded as a way to unlock when the Windows operating system is encrypted and locked.

Related article: Your Computer Has Been Locked? Ransomware Prevention Policy, Protect Yourself Now!

How to Protect PCs from Malware

As to the behavior that vendors sell pirated software containing malware in their personal computers, this not only fuels the spread of malware in this area but also puts personal information & digital identity at the mercy of cybercriminals.

According to Schrade, cybercriminals continue to evolve their techniques to evade security measure. Well then, how can you protect your computer from malware?

You should avoid using pirated software. And don’t risk your personal files for free software that you don’t know is truly free.

In addition, to keep your PC data safe, we hope that you can regularly back up important files. To do this, free file backup software, MiniTool ShadowMaker, is a good choice since it can help back up files, folders, OS, disks or partitions automatically for PC protection.

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