Stolen IT certification exams and materials are 'one of our biggest issues,' says Keith Kupferschmid, senior vice president of intellectual property at the Software and Information Industry Association ( SIIA).

'Since the economy collapsed, the incidents of cheating have been steadily going up.It's human nature that in a down economy, people get desperate.They rationalize that they have to cheat because they are out of work and need a job.' 'Cheating is up by about 10%,' says Jill Burroughs, director of exam services at CompTIA, which offers 11 certifications for IT professionals including CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Security +. And 12% have directly witnessed someone cheating on a certification exam.

In a survey of 200 IT professionals on IT Ethics conducted by Network World, 58% said they felt that using 'braindump' training materials was unethical yet 72% of respondents think that IT professionals use braindump materials on a regular-to-frequent basis.

IT professionals cheat by paying someone as much as $2,500 to take an exam or by using stolen tests purchased over the Internet commonly referred to as 'braindump' materials. Angry employees tattling on companies that violate software licensesĪs IT certifications become a pre-requisite for jobs and promotions, IT professionals are feeling more pressure to pass the exams.

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