Microsoft said yesterday that it is filing 52 lawsuits against resellers who allegedly sold counterfeit Microsoft software on
Specifically, Microsoft reports:
The 52 lawsuits filed today were filed in Belgium (1), Canada (1), France (3), Germany (12), Hong Kong (1), India (1), Ireland (1), Italy (2), Netherlands (7), Turkey (1), South Africa (1), the United Kingdom (6) and the United States (15). Twenty-two criminal cases were referred to law enforcement in Argentina (1), Belgium (1), China (1), Dominican Republic (2), France (3), India (1), Japan (2), Korea (2), Mexico (1), Panama (1), Poland (3), Taiwan (3) and Turkey (1).
Microsoft asserts that counterfeit software is risky for the consumer in that it is also more likely to contain malware. This line of reasoning is based on a study Microsoft commissioned from IDC . IDC found and tested 98 Web sites that offer access to counterfeit product keys, pirated software, key generators and key cracking tools. The study found that 25% of such Web sites also attempted to install malicious software onto a user’s PC.
For the most part, such sites affect two kinds of buyers – those that are innocently looking for a bargain and those that are deliberately looking for pirated software. The innocent ones must also be unaware that when it comes to software, you get what you pay for. (Microsoft is releasing a guide to help buyers better recognize illegal software.) As for people who are deliberately seeking out pirated software or hacking tools, they ought to know that when they visit such sites, they themselves could be the target of an exploit.
The risks to U.S. enterprises that contract with resellers who are dealing in pirated goods is less known but most likely very low. It is logical to assume that if a reseller is trafficking illegal goods, the reseller wouldn’t think twice about installing spam bots on its customer’s network. However, the risk to the reseller of being caught and prosecuted is so high, that such a scenario is unlikely at best. Most of resellers of illicit goods target consumers via online marketplaces and auction sites.
More Microsoft Subnet blog posts
The 9 worst Microsoft products, ever
Microsoft ads coming to a phone near you
Is IE more secure than Firefox?
December giveaways from the Microsoft and Cisco Subnets
Research indicates Windows Server 2008 could flop
VoIP Security Lessons Microsoft OCS Can Learn From Vonage and Others
Visit Microsoft Subnet for more news, blogs, opinion from around the Web.Sign up for the bi-weekly Microsoft newsletter. (Click on News/Microsoft News Alert.)
