Dangers of Using a Pirated Software

Software piracy is an unauthorised or unlicensing of software that comes out to be usually cheap or free of cost. Such software floats on online sites and in the open market when the copyright protected software is copied and modified. Containing many of the security flaws, these are often targeted by the cyber criminals to spread malware.

Risk #1

In an attempt to download a pirated software, you may land up on potentially dangerous websites, which can infect your PC with adware, bots and even a ransomware. When the device is infected or attacked, the malware sends out the sensitive credentials such as username, account number, password etc to the third party. Apart from all these, it can also completely disable your PC.

Risk #2

The program or application may not work effectively and efficiently as pirated software are cracked versions. Hence, when you use these software to execute certain task, the accuracy and output will not be up to the desired standard. Most importantly, pirated software do not get updates released by the developer from time-to-time. These updates are necessary for proper functioning of the software and without it you could be missing important updates, fixes, and security patches.

Risk#3

Using a pirated software may cause you severe repercussion by legal authorities. Copyright infringement is a crime which attracts huge penalty if caught.

Security Steps To Be Taken To Stay Protected

• Only use or purchase software from an authorised dealer.
• Never download pirated copies of any software rather download a trail version and purchase the same if you are satisfied with the quality.
• Carefully read and accept all the terms and conditions before installing a software.
• Download antivirus software to give your device total protection from all types of cyber threats.