Businesses suffer double losses due to 'software cracking'.

A new variant of the HotRat malware, first detected in August, continues to wreak havoc across Southeast Asia.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

A business owner posted on Facebook about how their company's computers had been infected with a 'botnet,' and how hackers exploited the situation for profit, causing significant losses to the business. The post quickly received thousands of shares, comments, and attention, including both praise and criticism.

"In fact, Mr. T.'s computer was infected with a type of malware, not a botnet as the article called it. Malware, in general, comes in many forms, from trojans, rootkits, keyloggers, to the most common ransomware. A botnet is a network of 'zombie computers' manipulated by hackers through vulnerabilities or malware hidden in computers," said Mr. Ngo Tran Vu, Director of NTS Security.

"With the current popularity of the Internet, malicious actors have many ways to spread malware to new users or those who are indifferent to device security. Popular channels for these actors to find victims are blogs, forums, and social networks that share pirated free resources. And of course, nothing is truly free; they always offer unexpected gifts that victims are unaware of," Mr. Vu commented.

In Mr. T's story, downloading pirated (cracked, pirated) graphics software created a risk to his property, including issues of software copyright and security.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are the target.

Mr. T. is not alone. Small businesses often disregard software licensing issues, preferring to use "premium" software for free. They freely download specialized software for daily work, from pre-packaged versions of Windows operating systems (Ghost, ISO), the Office suite, or popular high-end graphics and multimedia software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, AutoCAD, Vegas Pro… or even smaller tools like WinZip, WinRAR, and download managers like IDM.

Most of these malware programs are found on underground websites, torrent sites, and free file-sharing social networks. Users are required to disable their computer's security tools, such as antivirus or internet security (if installed), to download them. This is because these tools can scan for malware hidden within cracking tools like keygens, patches, or files already infected with malware.

Businesses often silently endure problems caused by their own mistakes. They don't receive support from software developers and may even face penalties from regulatory agencies. They face information security risks as malware and hackers infiltrate devices or systems, stealing or extorting data. Data is lost. Their brand is damaged, and consequently, their partnerships with international clients are also affected.

Don't wait until the cow is lost to build the barn.

In fact, malware embedded in pirated software is becoming increasingly sophisticated and harder to detect for average users. A new variant of the HotRat malware, detected in August, continues to wreak havoc in Southeast Asia through widespread downloading and use of pirated software in the region.

Mr. Vu stated that comprehensive protection solutions like Kaspersky Total Security are very useful for individual users or small businesses. However, for businesses larger than five years, it is advisable to choose security solutions that include data backup, as data is a very valuable asset that ransomware malware always targets.

Source