NewsPirated Software Compounds Ransomware Attack in China

Pirated Software Compounds Ransomware Attack in China

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As the WannaCry ransomware attack spreads around the globe, China has been hit especially hard. Researchers say that is because so many Chinese users rely on pirated copies of software, which do not receive security updates from the manufacturer. A 2016 BSA study found that 70 percent of software installed on Chinese systems did not have a legal license.

In the case of WannaCry, older versions of Windows that have not received the latest security updates are vulnerable to the attack. The New York Times quoted Zhu Huanjie, a Chinese network engineering student, who said, “Most of the schools are now all using pirate software, including operation system and professional software. In China, the Windows that most people are using is still pirated. This is just the way it is.”

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