Purchasing software can be expensive, especially for those who have tight pockets. Many students and researchers find themselves in tough situations due to those costs. Some then turn to pirated software. However, it takes a heavy toll on software designers as their work is stolen from them.
The issue with carrying out a pirated software download is that it consists of any titles used outside the permission parameters provided by the developer or distributor. That could mean using a cheaply made and illegally copied version. The cracked version is often embedded with malware as it allows the threat actors to compromise large numbers of personal computers and access the number of stolen credentials with ease. Here are some of the risks of downloading and using illegal software.
Malicious content
Downloading pirated software can pose serious security risks, especially for those who use their computers for activities like banking, shopping, and submitting health insurance. Recently, cybersecurity experts uncovered evidence of illegitimate software key generators and cracked platforms containing ransomware that stole users’ passwords.
According to a report by security firm Cybereason, one cracked software can affect more than 500,000 machines.
Additionally, a study from the Digital Citizens Alliance discovered that one-third of pirated software contained malware. It also identified that software downloaded from illegal sources was 28 times more likely to contain malware than software downloaded from legitimate sources.
Legitimacy issues
Downloading pirated software is a punishable offense in almost every country around the globe. It is considered a violation of software copyright law and the punishment for violating the local copyright laws depends on the country in which the people concerned are being charged.
Another major consequence is that you may be blocked by the software provider temporarily or permanently. For instance, if you pirate a copy of Adobe Photoshop, then Adobe could block you from using any of their software in the future. Particularly, if you rely on this software for your work, this could cause a serious problem.
Lack of updates
The biggest ramification of using pirated software is the lack of updates. For legitimate software, manufacturers roll out timely updates not only to add new features but also to patch existing vulnerabilities in the software code. However, this is not feasible in the case of pirated software. Downloading a cracked version deprives you of new features and functionalities and also leaves you vulnerable to attackers due to issues in existing codes.
