Avast: “People get their virus protection from warez sites”
December 6, 2010 33
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Eighteen months after leaking, Avast’s ship released a new number: 774,651. 774,651 is the number of users who are using avast! Pro with the one single license that got leaked almost two years ago.
What happened is a year and a half ago an avast! Pro license, sold to a small firm in the United States, got leaked online. Since then, users in over 200 countries have taken advantage of the leak. Even the Pope got in on the action: Two computers in Vatican City installed the illegal avast! Pro. (Avast has already replaced the license for the legitimate Arizona business that legitimately owned the leaked license.)
According to Avast’s CEO, “There is a paradox in computer users looking for ‘free’ antivirus programs at locations with a known reputation for spreading malware.”
Interestingly, Avast is not simply sinking the pirates – rather trying to use this as an opportunity to turn them. Avast recently started showing popup messages to the 3/4 million users; messages that ask the users to either use the free version of avast! or legitimately purchase the paid version. With this unorthodox marketing campaign, Avast has been able to flip some pirates into customers. New corporate strategy, anyone?
If you were one of the users hit by the devalidation, try one of the four most popular free antivirus options from dotTech’s original antivirus showdown article.
@Ashraf: Literally translated (from French, what else) it means “touched”.
In English on the internet, it is generally used for when one person has a point and another has a counterpoint–the 1st person then says “touché”.
It’s also used in English, on the internet. You use it when you give a point and another person gives a counterpoint. Here’s an example stolen from Google:
Also, in French accents are important! Don’t forget the accents!
@Locutus: Speaking about French, just wait until tonight’s review. I outdid myself on that one in regards to linguistics, if I do so so myself. =P
@Ashraf: If you do so so yourself? I think you mean “say so”. Just sayin’.
@Locutus: Bleh, who’s counting.
Seriously, though, if someone invented something that could correct all of Ashraf’s typos, Ashraf would buy it in an instant.
@Ashraf: By the way, I make a good spell check too.
I’ll NEVER think that I’m safe if a WAREZ ANTIVIRUS takes care of the security of my computer! Maybe that is the real virus! It’s kind of logic.
@Kni:
If the WAREZ site is trustful, then download. If not, then don’t download. Simple as that. ^_^ It’s all about common sense. :D
Hello, Ashraf.
I saw your discussion RE: touché.
According to my [legal] copy of WordWeb, touché means;
1. Acknowledgement of a hit in fencing
2. Acknowledgement of a good point made at one’s expense
So, yeah, its about making the point, but its more about *acknowledging* the point was made.
BTW, Ashraf, you can stop using Locutus as a spellcheck, if you’ll download the freeware version of WordWeb.
The license says that you can’t drive a SUV, take more than 1 or 2 flights per year, but other than those limitations,
its freeware, all the way, baby.
WordWeb is great too.
I use it for spellchecking, as a thesaurus, and of course as a dictionary.
With the stock keyboard shortcut its quick and easy to highlight a word, hit Ctrl+Alt+W,
and the program opens with the highlighted word defined, or, if its misspelled, but close,
WordWeb will offer a word that it thinks will work.
And now I’m all done pushing WordWeb, for the day.
Have a GREAT day, neighbors!