Type your question in the Illegal Software Opens The Door To Hackers
Friday 18 May 2007
Over a third of PCs are running pirated software, despite the risk of it containing hidden malicious code that could allow hackers to steal information.
Research by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) showed that 35% of the software installed on personal computers world wide in 2006 was illegal.
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However, security experts at Sophos are warning users that pirated software is a popular way for hackers to distribute malicious code such as viruses.
Many users assume the software is safe if it appears to run properly, not realizing they have also installed hidden malware alongside the program.
Some of the most common pirated software includes Microsoft products such as Office and particularly Word, and it is often businesses that are looking for a cost-cutting way to install office software on many computers.
However, companies that do this could be putting their customers and themselves at risk, as hackers can steal confidential data from infected PCs and unlike legal software there will be no technical support or updates to fix problems.
Home and business users are recommended to either pay for the legal software or where possible, seek alternative free or open-source software such as OpenOffice.org.
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- Adware
- Advertising program often installed along with other programs
- Attachment
- A file attached to an e-mail message for sending between computers
- Blog
- Web log. Personal web page where the author can post their views and experiences and receive comments.
- BMP
- Bitmap. The most common graphics file type for Windows PCs
- Bookmarks
- List of your favourite web sites
- Browser
- Software that displays web pages such as Internet Explorer and Firefox
- Compression
- A method of reducing the storage space a file takes up. Files must be decompressed to be used again
- Cookie
- Data that tracks visits to web sites and remembers user preferences
- Crash
- Occurs when a program causes your computer to stop responding
- Demo
- Free demonstration version of software that allows you to try before you buy
- Directory
- An index of web site links arranged in categories
- Disk Space
- The size of the area on the hard disk where files can be stored
- Domain name
- URL or Address of a web site on the Internet
- Download
- Transfer a file from another computer to your own
- Driver
- Software required for Windows to use a piece of hardware such as a graphics card
- Electronic mail passed between computers
- Favorites
- List of your favourite web sites
- Firewall
- Program or device that blocks or allows Internet access to a network or a PC
- Flash
- Software to create and play web site animations
- Font
- Text of a particular size and style
- Freeware
- Software that is free to download and use for as long as you like
- Hardware
- Physical parts of a computer system such as the hard disk, keyboard and printer
- HTML
- HyperText Markup Language. The code that makes up a web page
- Home Page
- The main page of a web site, often a welcome page
- Hyperlink
- A text or graphic you click on to go to another page or a different web site
- Internet
- A collection of inter-connected computer networks
- Install
- To load and copy program files onto a computer
- JPG / JPEG
- Compressed graphics file for sending across the Internet
- Link
- A text or graphic you click on to go to another page or a different web site
- Malware
- Malicious software such as virus or spyware programs
- Modem
- Device that links a computer to the Internet through a telephone line
- MP3
- Compressed audio file to save disk space and for transfer across the Internet
- Netiquette
- Acceptable behaviour online
- Online
- Connected to the Internet
- Phishing
- Fraudulent e-mails and web sites trying to trick you into giving out personal details
- Plug-in
- Extra programs that can be installed into larger programs to handle special tasks, such as playing certain types of movie files in a browser
- Podcast
- Internet audio broadcast that can be played back on PCs or MP3 players such as the iPod.
- Pop-Up
- Small window that appears on a web page, often used for advertisements.
- Program
- A set of instructions to make a computer carry out a task
- Rootkit
- Software that hides system files and can allow attackers to access your computer undetected
- Router
- Device used in home Internet networks to send data from the web to specific computers
- RSS
- Really Simple Syndication - a system to feed you news stories from web sites
- Search Engine
- Tool that searches the Web for keywords and provides relevant links
- Server
- A computer that holds Internet data such as web site files and can send it to another computer when requested
- Shareware
- Software that is free to download but you pay a fee if you want to continue using it after the trial period
- Shortcut
- A link you can click to go straight to a particular program or web page
- Social Networking
- Web sites based on communication and relying on users to add content
- Software
- A program or a set of instructions to make a computer carry out a task
- Spam
- Junk mail messages to e-mail addresses
- Spyware
- Software that tracks your movements on the Web for advertising purposes without your knowledge
- Stream
- Start playing music or video as soon as it begins downloading
- Surfing
- Moving from one web page to another
- Trial
- Software that allows you to try before you buy
- Trojan
- Malicious virus program disguised as useful software
- Uninstall
- Remove program files from a computer
- Upload
- Send a file from your computer to an online destination
- URL
- Uniform Resource Locator. The address of a web site on the World Wide Web
- Virus
- Destructive program that infects and damages computer files
- Vlog
- Video web log
- VoIP
- Voice over Internet Protocol - voice conversations across the Internet
- WAV
- The standard audio file type for Windows PCs
- Web Page
- Individual page on a web site
- Web Site
- A collection of connected web pages located at a particular domain name
- Wiki
- Web site that can be edited by users to add information
- Windows
- Microsoft operating system installed on most PCs
- World Wide Web (WWW)
- Information space on the Internet stored on servers across the world containing documents connected together through hyperlinks
- Worm
- Malicious code that uses an infected PC to spread itself to others
- Zip
- Compressed file format to reduce diskspace needed by a file and to transfer it between computers more quickly
