According to the IT security vendor, which offers both free and pay-for software, whilst 80% of its new users arrive at its download site as a result of recommendations, the expansion of 'interest' in the multi-user commercial site licence for Avast Pro Antivirus surprised its top management.
Today, Avast says that the licence has been used in over 200 countries ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and even to two users in the Vatican City. "Phenomenal growth yes, but except for the original 14 users, all of the others are pirates", says the company.
Vince Steckler, Avast's CEO, said he made a decision to see just how viral this one license for Avast Pro could be. "The answer is 'very' and now we are in the process of converting these pirates over to legal products", he noted.
So how did the pay-for software spread so quickly?
According to Steckler, the spread was triggered by warez sites, which spread pirated commercial software very quickly, with the package was apparently available for download at multiple sites.
"There is a paradox in computer users looking for 'free' anti-virus programs at locations with a known reputation for spreading malware", he said, adding that downloading at warez sites is not risk-free, as the firm's virus lab has documented examples of warez sites distributing packages of a 'cracked' anti-virus program combined with malware.
Because of the size of the pirate empire that Avast seems to have amassed, the company has analysed its global coverage, and found that Russia has the largest number of pirate licences at 9%, whilst the lowest number – nil – were found at the North Pole.
The pirate users have now been sent a pop-up notice that they had a pirated licence and that they would be cut off from virus database updates.
They have, says the company, also been given the option of converting to the Free Antivirus version or a copy of Pro Antivirus.