Using pirated software creates a one in three chance of downloading malware, according an IDC white paper on the subject commissioned by Microsoft.The Dangerous World of Counterfeit and Pirated Software, commissioned as part of Microsoft's Play it Safe campaign, says the chances of encountering malicious code are high.Even if the software itself does not include malware, it could be present on the websites or peer-to-peer networks from which it was taken and infect user PCs during the download.In addition, when authentication codes are needed to activate the software they are often available on counterfeit sites that are infected. There are even instances where malware is delivered through normal channels."In other words, your chances of encountering malicious code in counterfeit software are high - whether you know it's counterfeit or not," IDC says.It estimates that the direct costs to business of cleaning up malware will amount to $114 billion this year, and potential losses from data breaches could be close to $350 billion.According to BSA The Software Alliance, 42 per cent of the software packages installed in PCs around the world in 2011 was pirated.Criminal activityDavid Finn, Associate General Counsel for Microsoft Cybercrime Centre, said in a blogpost on the report that it mirrors the findings of the company's own investigators."My team of investigators, analysts and attorneys (many of them former prosecutors and law enforcement officials) has been probin
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