According to new research from Kaspersky, a significant number of small and medium-sized businesses are willing to use pirated versions of business software to reduce their IT expenses.
The most popular types of software to hack were sales, marketing, and project management software, with 56% of respondents saying they would consider hacking cybersecurity software.
In eight months, according to Kaspersky, 9685 of its users encountered malware and PUAs disguised as popular SMB software products.
What kind of software is pirated?
During the investigation, Kaspersky claims to have found 4.525 unique potentially unwanted or malicious files that were distributed via unofficially distributed (including pirated) SMB-related software.
But she points out that among small businesses with fewer than 50 employees, only 7% are ready to take that step.
Kaspersky pointed out that this type of activity can seriously affect the cybersecurity of companies, highlighting how hackers can actively distribute malicious files under the guise of commonly used software to bypass firewalls and compromise companies.
"Although malicious actors rely on email as their main infection vector, pirated software downloadable via torrents is another trick criminals use to trick victims into installing malware on their systems, which in turn business environment can lead to more data being compromised or compromised and stolen,” said David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky.
In the event of budget constraints, Emm recommended that companies use "free, reputable, community-supported open source alternatives that are much less likely to contain malicious code."
In addition to turning around open source products, Kaspersky also recommends creating standard accounts for employees without administrator rights, to prevent the spread of malware.
The company also noted that if your device slows down, overheats, and makes a lot of noise even when no one is using it, someone may have installed a cryptominer on the device that is overloading the processor and video.
- Do you want to reduce your spending on cybersecurity without doing anything illegal? Check out our guide to the best antivirus software