Many start-up businesses today resort to online software vendors in the search for the cheapest software solutions out there in the market. However, in the same vein that Internet commerce is "largely unrestricted, self-regulated and anonymous," it is often difficult to ascertain the quality of goods and services purchased through the web, unless one has had previous dealings with their regular supplier offline.
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org), it its 2009 Internet Piracy Report, notes: "Consumers should proceed with caution when purchasing and using software from unknown vendors online. Using illegal software can put one's personal information, and even reputation at risk. At the very least, it can lead to software incompatibility and viruses, drive up maintenance cost, and leave users without technical support or security updates."
Another study from BSA and IDC research firm shows that malware and pirated software frequently co-exist on certain Web sites that offer access to pirated software and piracy-related tools. At least a quarter of such sites were found to be rife with trojans and other security threats that are imbedded into downloaded products or distributed through other means to infect visitors' computers.
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