Company also discovers malware and coin miners on these PCs

Nov 3, 2018 17:19 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has conducted its own investigation on the Asian new PC market, only to discover an insane number of computers sold with a pirated Windows license.

As reported by The Economic Times, Microsoft purchased PCs between May and July from Asian markets in an attempt to determine how many of them are shipped with counterfeit Windows licenses and malware pre-installed.

The results are concerning, to say the least, as 100 percent of the systems that were acquired in South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand came with pirated software. Furthermore, 91 percent of the Windows licenses on Indian PCs were not genuine. Indonesia is next with 90 percent.

Overall, no less than 83 percent of all computers that the software giant purchased from Asian markets were pre-loaded with unlicensed Windows, the report adds. The Philippines was the country with the lowest rate of pirated Windows on new computers – 43 percent.

Malware also find on these PCs

Microsoft also discovered malware on the majority of computers, as well as coin miners that were supposed to generate revenues for certain parties without users knowing about it.

“Cybercriminals are constantly evolving their techniques to evade security measures and embedding their malware into pirated software is one of their tactics as it allows them to compromise large numbers of personal computers and access the amount of stolen credentials with ease,” Mary Jo Schrade, Assistant General Counsel and Regional Director of Digital Crimes Unit in Asia at the Microsoft in Singapore, told the source.

“When vendors sell pirated software containing malware in their personal computers, they are not only fueling the spread of malware in the region but are also putting their customers' personal information and digital identity at the mercy of cybercriminals.”

Microsoft hasn’t revealed whether it plans any legal action against retailers selling pirated copies of Windows on new computers, but it’s likely that the company considers such an option given its past actions in similar cases.