New research from Kaspersky claims that a large group of small and medium-sized businesses are ready to use pirated versions of business software to reduce their IT spending.
The most popular types of software for hacking were project management, marketing and sales software, with 56% of survey respondents saying they were happy to consider hacking a piece of cybersecurity software.
Within eight months, Kaspersky says it found 9,685 of its users encountered malware and unwanted software masquerading as common SME software products.
What kind of software is pirated?
During the investigation, Kaspersky claims to have found 4,525 uniquely malicious or potentially unwanted files spread via unofficially distributed (including pirated) SME related software.
But she noted that among small businesses with fewer than 50 employees, only 7% are willing to take such a step.
Kaspersky highlighted that this type of activity can seriously affect the cyber safety of companies, and highlighted how hackers actively distribute malicious files under the guise of commonly used software as a means of evasion. Firewall and settle business.
“Although malicious actors rely on email as the primary carrier of infection, broken torrents are another ploy that criminals use to lure victims to install malware on their systems, which in a business environment could potentially lead to more data compromised. Or said David Im, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky.
In the case of budget constraints, Emm recommended that companies use “reputable, community-supported, free, open-source alternatives that are less likely to contain malicious code.”
Apart from giving out open source products, Kaspersky also recommends issuing standard employee accounts without admin rights, to help prevent the spread of malware.
The company also highlighted that if your gadget slows down, heats up and makes a lot of noise even when no one is using it, someone might have installed a cryptocurrency miner on the device which is overloading the processor and video.
- Do you want to cut your spending on cyber security without doing any illegal work? Check out our guide to Best antivirus software