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The Emerging Enterprise - SPAM Scams And Piracy
SPAM Scams And Piracy
That SPAM in your in-box has taken a sudden new dangerous twist. What bargain priced software can really cost your small business.
By Dayna Haberle-Delmonico
I have a lot of email addresses so "SPAM killing" is a normal part of my morning routine. On top of the usual email junk I get about 80 to 100 legitimate emails a day.
Lately I noticed I kept getting email about software I'm very familiar with - Symantec's Norton AntiVirus and Norton SystemWorks. I've covered Symantec products, off and on, for years which is why I noticed the sheer amount of mail about Symantec's premier products.
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I knew the Norton emails weren't coming from Symantec. I assumed, at first, that some retailer or ad agency was running "SPAM amuck." Nothing new about software at fire sale prices. THAT should have been my first clue, but my brain was elsewhere.
Like everybody else, I just added each sender to my junk email list and forgot about it. But the Norton emails kept coming, and coming, and coming. Since I wasn't even opening the emails, it was simply an annoyance. What I didn't notice was they were all coming through my TechWeb editor's address. Needless to say there are a slew of technology editors using the same prefix for their email address so I was sure they were getting Spammed too.
It may be hard to believe, but some "ladies and gentlemen" of the technology press, tend to get a little testy about stuff like this. So I forwarded the next "SPAM -O-Gram" to one of my favorite media reps who just happens to represent Symantec. It was simply a heads up on potential nasty emails or phone calls that I was sure she'd get if she hadn't already.
I was NOT prepared for her response.
She wrote, "These offers don't come from Symantec or anyone associated with Symantec. These offers are for counterfeit software. Would you be interested in talking with Symantec about the impact of pirated software and the dangers to users who buy counterfeit software?"
What started off as annoying SPAM suddenly became a far bigger and more dangerous business issue. An ongoing problem for Symantec and other software vendors was now a problem for unsuspecting consumers and smaller businesses. I wanted to talk to someone.
Defining The Problem
Email SPAMMING is the just the latest twist on an old problem. Software Piracy, in all it's various forms, is NOT a new issue, and it costs the software industry billions of dollars in lost sales and the resources needed to police this type of theft. Microsoft's Windows use to be the number one target until Windows XP and it's registration process made it too difficult for thieves to continue. In and attempt to stop this form of piracy, other vendors will follow suit with digital rights management (DRM). At the moment, however, thieves have moved on to the next best selling software and thus target-Norton Security Software and others.
How pervasive is the problem? According to The Business Software Alliance or BSA, "in 2001, the global piracy rate was 40%, and in the U.S. the piracy rate was 25%." BSA estimates that "piracy cost the worldwide software industry $10.97 billion in lost revenue [in 2001]. In 2000, the industry lost not only $2.6 billion in revenue, but also 118,000 jobs, $5.6 billion in lost wages and $1.5 billion in lost tax revenue."
Types of Software Piracy
Founded in 1988, the BSA which includes technology companies and manufacturers like Dell, Symantec and Cisco, has a mission to "educate computer users on software copyrights and cyber security; advocate public policy that fosters innovation and expand trade opportunities; and fight software piracy." BSA defines 4 basic types of software piracy:
- End User-Loading software on multiple machines or swapping software disks is the most common.
- Client-Server Overuse-More users are using the software on a network that is larger than the license permits.
- Hard-Disk Loading-Computer sellers installing unlicensed software on new computers making their sale more attractive.
- Software Counterfeiting-"the illegal copying of software for distribution within the organization or to friends, clubs and other groups or for commercial duplication and resale. Software piracy is a major issue in the U.S. and Europe, and it is rampant in the rest of the world where major applications are routinely copied for resale."
- Internet Piracy-In addition to email scams, BSA lists an additional forms of Internet piracy including newsgroups and mail order/auction sites. Read BSA's "Vehicles For Theft: The Forms Of Internet Software Piracy".
Danger To SMBs
The immediate danger from the latest SPAM SCAMs, according to William Plante, Director of Worldwide Security and Brand Protection at Symantec (aka Symantec's "Top Software Cop") are not just in the money you can lose buying bootlegged software but the danger in actually using it. This has always been a danger with counterfeit software. According to Plante, Symantec's technical support has had numerous reports of corrupted hard drives and lost data.
IF you did buy the software, it doesn't take Einstein to figure out these guys aren't above credit card theft. Though the BSA and companies are working with law enforcement to stop this, most of the SPAM scam activity is taking place off-shore so you can kiss your email address, money, and probably your credit card number, goodbye.
Ensuring You're Buying The Real Deal
How do you ensure you've bought real licensed software? Plante offers the following suggestions.
- "You're never going to see a fire sale from Symantec", or most other reputable software vendor.
- Symantec and authorized partners, as well as other software vendors, do use email for special offers, however those campaigns are specifically targeted and, in Symantec's case, usually include a coupon offer.
- Purchase software products from your local retailer or large, recognizable online resellers. The product should always be in shrink wrapped packages and include licenses and warranties.
How NOT To Get Burned
Symantec's Spam Watch offers these tips so you don't get burned in a Spam Scam
- Do not respond to suspicious spammed emails. A response only confirms the accuracy of your email address, and may result in even more messages filling up your In-box.
- If you are suspicious, do not click on the link asking to be taken off the sender's list, as the senders often use that as a ploy to confirm the recipient's address, resulting in even more spammed email.
- Never submit your credit card details or other personal information to non-secure Web sites (there should be a locked padlock icon that appears in yellow, or in a yellow box, on the bottom bar of the order form Web browser).
- Use spam filtering or spam blocking software.
- Do not send your email address through chat rooms, instant message services or Internet bulletin boards and newsgroups.
- Do not give out your primary email address for online registration or on e-commerce sites. Have another free email address to use more publicly.
- Do not forward chain email. This special type of email is considered spam. It is unsolicited, intrusive and may clog up email servers and slow down Internet traffic.
If You Think You've Been Burned
- Report suspicious online promotions of Symantec/Norton branded software by e-mail to spamwatch@symantec.com.
- You may also report to the local contact of the Business Software Alliance (check the contacts list at www.bsa.org).
- In the US, you can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about a SPAM email that you have received. Visit the FTC online to file a complaint, or forward the SPAM email to the FTC for investigation.
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