IDC report concluded that unlicensed software and malware … – ebizLatam PointCast

A new report commissioned by BSA | The Software Alliance confirms the link between unlicensed software and malware on personal computers. The analysis, conducted by IDC found that the higher the rate of unlicensed software in a country, the greater the amount of malware in general found on computers in the country. The involvement of governments, companies and end users is clear:. The removal of unlicensed software on their networks could help reduce the risk of cyber security incidents

“ infections malware can cause significant damage, and organizations are struggling with the best way to protect , “said Jodie Kelley, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of BSA. “ This analysis shows that the link between the use of unlicensed software and malware is real, meaning that a good software management is an essential first step in cybersecurity risk reduction “.

The statistical analysis compared the rates of unlicensed software installed on computers in 81 countries with a measure of detections of malware on computers tracked by a member of BSA, Microsoft company. It argues that there is a strong positive correlation (r = 0.79) between the indices of unlicensed software and malware incidents. Further analysis indicates that the rate of unlicensed software in a country is a strong predictor of malware detections in the country. In Argentina, the encounter rate of malware is 25%.

The report is based on BSA insignia study that examines the global rates of use of unlicensed software. In 2014, the Global Survey on Software BSA reported that 69% of software installed in Argentina during the previous year was not licensed, compared with 43% globally. It also found that the main reason given by users worldwide, not using unlicensed software is to avoid security threats due to malware. The risks associated with unlicensed software, 64% of users worldwide cited unauthorized access by hackers as a major concern, and 59% cited loss of data access.

BSA recommends that organizations implement internal controls and management practices of software assets that comply with ISO, in order to reduce exposure to cyber threats to ensure that all software installed on their systems count on licenses corresponding.

“ The use of illegal software, results in the possibility of losing computer data and suffer attacks from hackers. In research conducted concluded that organizations experience related incidents malware every 3 minutes , “said Montserrat Duran, Senior Director of Legal Affairs for Latin America BSA | The Software Alliance. “ malware problems relating to the software without a license, in 2014, had a cost to organizations about 500 billion “.