![]() ![]() ![]() Microsoft says that Keygen is strongly associated with unsecure file distribution. ![]() The most commonly reported threat family – showing up on 98% of the 105 countries or regions covered by Microsoft’s report – was Win32/Keygen, a marker for tools that generate product keys that allow software to be used illegally. More than 76 percent of computers reporting Keygen detections also reported detections of other threat families, which is 10 percent higher than the average co-infection rate for other families. In many cases, the distributed packages contain malware alongside (or instead of) the pirated software, which takes advantage of the download and install process to infect the computers of users who download the bundles. Installing pirated software bears significant risks. That number increased to 17.2 percent of reporting computers in the second quarter. Microsoft also says malware families strongly associated with file-sharing distribution, such as Win32/Keygen, Win32/Pameseg, and Win32/Gendows, were found on 16.8% of computers reporting detections in the first quarter of 2012. Microsoft calls this attackers’ “time-honored tactic” of hiding malware behind the supposedly safe name of a trusted product. Part of what the company is seeing on those reporting PCs boils down to malware samples that share the same names as files known to be distributed on file-sharing networks. Last month Microsoft put out a white paper in which it revealed that four of 20 brand-new computers bought in China contained malware right out of the box.įor these regularly issued reports, Microsoft crunches data reported by PCs running its anti-malware products that have opted to send data to the company. In fact, unsafe supply chains encompass even computers sold at retail. The definition covers underground sites where pirated software and media are openly exchanged, as well as legitimate websites that make shareware or free music files available for public download. In the latest edition of the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, released on Monday, the company tackles unsafe supply chains, which it describes as “the websites, protocols, and other channels by which software and media files are informally distributed, both legally and illegally.” ![]() The underweb grows ever more slimy, Microsoft says, as downloads of pirated movies, music, software and other media increasingly come bearing malware. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |