Installing leaked copies of Microsoft's
Windows 7 operating system is highly risky.
Pirate versions of an early build of Microsoft's latest
operating system are available on file-sharing networks.
Windows 7 is under final developer testing ahead of an expected
commercial release later this month.
But security firm
Fortify Software says there is no way of knowing whether or not
hackers have tampered with the 2.44Gbyte file.
Anyone downloading and installing the operating system could
find their PC generating malware, denial of service attacks and
spam, said Fortify.
It is highly unlikely that any IT security application will
protect users from internally coded malware in the operating
system, said Rob Rachwald, director product marketing at
Fortify.
"Fall-out from using an unofficial version of the new operating
system could be quite severe," he said.
Windows 7, which is based on the code in Windows Vista, offers
built in support for touch-sensitive displays.
In addition, Microsoft has extended its Bitlocker encryption
technology to support portable storage devices.
Microsoft said users will also be able to connect securely to
Windows Server 2008 networks without the need for a VPN.