Microsoft software piracy is an issue that has been troubling the tech giant for a long. It is estimated that India is amongst the top in sales of pirated versions of Microsoft software. The pirated version of the software is uploaded on the laptops and computers by retailers and big dealers as well.
The pirated copies are sold free or at discounted prices as compared to the original software, but are they actually free?
The original software is hard to crack as these are regularly updated fixing the bugs and loopholes. On the other hand, cybercriminals are constantly searching for pirated versions of Windows to bypass the security measures and upload their malware into the pirated software. This allows them to compromise personal computers and access the data from the devices.
Your sensitive data like personal images, family pictures, financial data is at risk of being stolen. Any system with pirated software has greater chances of a ransomware attack.
Additionally, a user would be spending more on fixing the issues caused by pirated software rather than saving some bucks.
The question is who is selling these counterfeit Microsoft Software and what is Microsoft doing about it?
Many retailers and reputed suppliers are involved in the sale and purchase of counterfeit Microsoft Software. Many of them are located in the commercial markets across India like Nehru Place of Delhi and Lamington Road of Mumbai.
These counterfeit Microsoft Software are purchased for as low as Rs.500 and sold to gullible dealers and users for more than Rs.10000 generating a margin for replenishing in case of someone complaints about the product failure.
It is clear that when vendors are involved in the sales and distribution of pirated software containing malware in personal computers, they help in the spread of malware in the region putting the personal and financial data of a large number of users at risk.
Microsoft time to time takes action against such vendors but these days the organization seems to have turned a blind eye. It is up to the authentic vendors and associations to safeguard the interests of the users against fraudulent vendors and piracy.
To check if you have been cheated, you may send the product picture to [email protected].
It’s true. It’s seriously affecting revenue of genuine software resellers. It’s time Microsoft should take action- particularly on Facebook and ban their advertisements. It’s so simple!