Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ

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How is pirating software a thing? (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I understand that sharing video, photos, documents etc. is relatively safe because the data is not executed in the processor as instructions. How come people are willing to download and install pirated software though? How can one be confident that it does not contain malicious addons? Are people just don't know the risks? Or are there protection mechanisms that I am missing? I mean since the software is usually cracked there is not much use in comparing checksums with the originals, is it?

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[–] [email protected] 140 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Worth noting that paying for a license for software doesn't stop it being spying malware either. In fact the pirate versions often take out the spying and the reporting-to-homebase that proprietary software does.

The photoshop that phones home to check a license is arguably more malicious than the pirate version that has been cracked so it doesn't do that.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Good and valid point. I use opensource software wherever I can.

Though paid software is not going to encrypt your data for ransom or use a keylogger to steal bitcoin (yet).

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

There was an antivirus that was caught running a bitcoin miner in the background tbf. If memory serves it was Norton?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

atleast they admitted it, still don't trust mcafee though...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

It was opt-in, and I think to make your subscription cheaper. Then again, Norton sucks!