1. Mac OS specific: uncheck Safari’s ‘Open ‘safe’ files after downloading’ option in the General pane of its Preferences
2. Never click on a link in an email from an unknown party
3. Never download software unless you are certain where it is from
4. Never install/double click from an unknown or unrequested source
5. Never click an image if you don’t know where it is from
6. Never hand over personal identification information into any application, website, or in response to any email unless you are completely sure and utterly certain you know and trust where it came from.

Click here to read Jonny Evans complete article

Since we are finding there are many vulnerabilities in the software we use, i.e. java as noted in Evan’s article, it is important we keep up with the latest threats and security updates. Evans points out we all need to be vigilant and proactive in keeping our computers as secure as possible from attacks. Of course, the most difficult aspect of computing security is malicious hackers are becoming more sophisticated along with the new applications. This includes mobile and cloud applications.

We must be vigilant. We must take responsibility for our own computing habits. As much as we want to believe all will be taken care of by an anti-malware/virus program, history shows us otherwise. We are not only vulnerable individually, but collectively as we have seen in attacks on national targets.

When we panic we lose. Let’s keep our heads and do what we can to mitigate the risk of infection and also hold companies responsible for their efforts in closing known vulnerabilities in applications. It may take a little more time to bring applications to market and may include some inconveniences. But, in the long run, proactive security beats losing personal information or even infiltration of national grids serving our basic needs.

My questions to you are:

How often do you think about the vulnerability of your system?

Do you keep up with the lasted news in malware, viruses, and safe guards against them?

What is your opinion on the computing and mobile advances, and the vulnerabilities they generate?

The software piracy rate is thought to be 60% in Saudi Arabia, the highest in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council – along the Arabian Peninsula). The sentences in both cases show the willingness of the Saudi government to deter software pirates. The reason: an estimated $1billion loss in gross domestic product in the last two years.

View the entire article here

We see from this article that it is not just the US developers and country that suffer at the hands of software piracy. It is affecting economies all over the world. Cracking down on pirates takes time and effort. In the meantime, software revenue needs to be protected. Licensing software with hardware will help protect revenues until the epidemic of software piracy is checked.

What are your thoughts on the affects of software piracy and the actions to deal with it outside the US?  Do you have any personal experience with piracy of your software?

The questions that came to mind are; “Why are the programs being created to steal rather than provide? What makes a person with the drive, determination, and, obviously, the brain to create programs of such power, go the path of hacking rather than providing?”

Of course, the obvious answer is that it pays well.  Or, is the motivation about power or being smarter than someone else.  If it is the later, it is much greater and smarter to create rather than demolish. Things created can last centuries as the pyramids attest. How many peoples throughout the ages learn about and visit these monuments of great artists. The affects would be something to talk about for centuries. If it is about money, well, that only lasts for so long. And then it’s gone.

If it is done properly, there is a great deal of time and energy that goes into protecting people’s information and software. Our goal is to be part of creating options for improving and protecting software and personal information, and to bring you educational snapshots to help you prevent software piracy. Contact us for more information on how we can help you.

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There are guards trying to ward off the poachers and keep the jungle safe so that commerce can flourish and sustain life. There are locks and laws. There are agreements between villages to protect commerce and sustain life. Yet, we continue to see in the news, the millions of dollars lost to these poachers. It seems there are no boundaries for poachers. Even Mac, once thought in the protected zone, is now falling prey to poachers.

How can we protect the Mac jungle? What can we do to make it secure so that we can carry on commerce, trade, and recreation without the worry of a poacher breaking through and eating our lunch? We need Tarzan. We need SmartDongle.

The SmartDongle for Mac was developed to secure your Mac OS X v10.4 through v10.8. With the SmartDongle in place, your applications are protected from application pirates disguised as poachers. Let us help protect your jungle. Contact us to get the security you need so poachers won’t eat your lunch.

My head swims at the thought of intelligent people thinking that the reasons listed to circumvent the law in digital piracy are valid. The thought that comes to me is that those that pirate digital products believe their wants supersede the wants of those who take the time and effort to develop programs, games, music, etc. The very people who develop the games, music, etc. are the people that digital pirates may actually discourage to continue in creative development. Let’s look at this more closely to see if there is a solution lurking somewhere underneath all of this.

There are articles everywhere about why digital piracy is necessary.

•  We need to have things saved for future generations. It is part of history. We cannot lose our heritage because of copyright laws.
• We have the right to expect that anything downloadable that we purchase will work on any form of media WE chose.
• The cost is exorbitant and everyone should have access regardless whether they can pay or not, especially those in developing markets.
• Everyone should have access at the same time. Release globally, not regionally.
• Piracy is really a marketing tool and companies should be happy about their pirated copies. It makes more people want to purchase the product.

I agree that we should preserve our history/heritage. I can see the argument for both selling based on the market’s ability to pay and new releases being simultaneously released everywhere when possible. Providing advanced copies for trial is a great marketing tool

Let’s look at possible ways we can stay within the law and meet the wants of the customers that are identified in the above “causes” for digital piracy.

1. First, Historical records: Set up a place where historical copies can be placed. Determine a timeframe for placing digital products in the “historical vault”. Determine how people will access the products for study and historical occasions. Perhaps companies will be more willing to participate in this type of program if they are shown the need of placing a copy of their product in the vault.
2. Markets: What would it really take to market products based on each market’s ability to pay? How much crossover would there be to purchasing in the less expensive market? Or should there be a mean in which the product would be the same price across markets?  Would there be differences in products for each market? This may take a lot of work to implement and maintain.
3. Global release of products: First question is: why aren’t companies releasing globally now? Is it a question of economics? Is it too difficult for a company to launch a new release in so many markets at one time? From the answers to these types of questions, a path to global releases might be found.
4. Piracy is a marketing tool: Trial releases are a marketing tool used by many companies. Perhaps each new product or update could have a trial release for a reduced price. If you like it and want to have it forever, pay an additional amount for the “forever” release. Would customers be willing to pay for the “forever” release after paying for the trial and deciding to keep it? Since licensing programs are already available for updating versions and making trials into “forever” licenses, would a trial give the customer what is needed to pay for digital products rather than pirate them?
5. Wanting each application to work on whatever platform a customer is using. This is more difficult to provide. Platforms are evolving so quickly and fading off so rapidly these days, it is very difficult to provide access across all platforms. It could also add to the expense of the digital product to work with multiple platforms to fill this request.

As I look at the logical direction to reduce digital piracy based on the reasons given for piracy, I see that there are those who will come up with the thought that digital products should just be available to everyone, period.  In the current world environment, that does not seem to be a plausible solution. However, we can begin to discuss the reasons many give for piracy.  And, we can work together to find a solution that would make digital media affordable to those who need and want to use it as well as reward those who develop, create, and make digital media available. There are two sides – piracy is against the law so creating better laws and ways for distribution just makes sense.

What do you think?

In discussions about software and other digital piracy, the numbers show that piracy is greater in foreign markets than in the US. Many articles discuss the reasons and excuses for such high percentages of pirated software and other media. However, in the State of the Union Address given Tuesday, President Obama stated that America has brought trade cases against countries that do not play by the rules, such as China. This reference to trade agreements opens up the matter of digital piracy to a bigger discussion, trade agreements.

This is business. We have agreements made and signed. Therefore, we as well as our partners in business need to live by those agreements. That includes stopping software and digital piracy.  It also means that we work together to that end. This assertion begs the question, “How can we work together to reduce software and digital piracy? “ It does not seem that the status quo of shutting down pirate shops and websites, and fining companies is reducing the percentage of pirated software and digital goods at a very effective rate. Pirate websites and shops are just started up again under a new name. Is there a better strategy? Do the trade agreements that we have with foreign countries provide an avenue to help stop software and digital piracy?

But in the end, it does not matter what the reason. It does not matter whether a country has enacted anti-piracy laws or not. Software piracy still takes $50 to $100 billion dollars of revenue each year.

Recently, I read a white paper released by IDC that identifies not only the software companies that take a hit when software is pirated, but also partners within the same ecosystem.  Additionally, the paper states that there are other ways to “help” violates come into compliance that will, not only bring in revenue but also make loyal customers.  Some of these customers are not even aware of the use of unauthorized software usage within their company.

With just a few percentage points, a lot of money can be put back into the software companies which will help them to continue to develop and innovate for future enhancements. We need to protect our software to keep from having to do remedial work with customers. But we also need to take steps necessary to help retain our current customers, invite new customers, and keep our bottom line secure so that development companies can be successful in bringing innovative, create ideas to technology for all of us to use. 

How has software piracy affected your company?

Read the entire white paper.