Develop software it is an expensive operation. To make one from scratch, designers, programmers and a lot of work time must be involved. That is why not all applications are free.
The prices to the public are varied. They vary according to your utility, power and the laws of the market. For example, there are mobile applications that cost $400 and offer nothing more than a wallpaper. In the same way there are very useful free ones that we use daily.
However, utility and free do not always go hand in hand. In this sense, some sites offer cracks that allow access to paid programs for free. In this post we will develop more in depth.
What is a crack and what are these “illegal” programs for?
These are software that are used to break (hence its name) the security of another program. The purpose of most of them is to evade the restrictions of payment or subscription of copyrighted software, in order to be able to use them for free. In most countries, this activity is considered hacking. The legal sentence varies according to each place.
Due to the increase in crackers (this is the name given to the people who develop cracks) Software developers around the world are increasingly adding more security to their applications.
Characteristics of Cracks How can we identify them?
At first glance, cracks are documents or files like any other. They can be a set of elements that work together. An executable file plus one with the extension , etc.
Take note of the following features:
- The main form of detection when inside the system is through a . The second is to do it before it enters the computer. For this we must have certain guidelines.
- Keep the real time protection of the antivirus. This motorcycle will be able to notify you that the content you have just downloaded contains a program that is not allowed.
- Always use the official sites from the developers. To make sure that we are downloading legal software.
- Suspicious of the word “free”. If a program really is, it will identify itself as , free softwareopen source, among others.
- The only way to use copyrighted software for free is by accessing the trial versionwhich can last between days and months depending on the developer.
How does a Crack work to allow me to use a commercial program for free and how to protect ourselves?
Downloading a crack from the Internet can mean leaving the door open for malware. When the file is presented in or .rar format, we cannot be sure of all its content. Assuming the case that it does not contain a malicious program, This software works as follows:
- The moment we start to run the crack, the program accesses the code of the application that we want to use for free. You can achieve this through a tool that crackers call debugger.
- This performs a search for a sequence of bytes equal to or representative of the one indicated by the crack developer.
- Once the login is obtained, locate the runtime that prevents the use of the application when the trial period has been exceeded or not having an access code depending on the case.
- Changes are made to the corresponding sequence (usually found in the executable file or in .dll files). So that when the application uses the same, it does not do the verification checks that correspond to the serial number or trial period.
In the event that this package does contain malicious software, The best way to protect ourselves is through the antivirus:
- It is advisable turn on updates system automatics.
- Allow Internet access to legal programs.
- Avoid executing .exe files that do not come from reliable sources.
What are the risks of installing cracked programs on my computer?
Wow there are. Depending on the situation, they may be higher or lower, but it will never be zero risk. Among the main disadvantages that we find when activating software through a crack, or use a portable program already pirated we can tell you the following:
Legal issues
Bearing in mind that the use of illegal programs is punishable in many countries, especially if you do it with your company’s computers. You can be sued by someone or the developer company itself. For example, in Spain sanctions can reach 280,000 euros And till jail sentences. In other countries, there are even government areas that are dedicated to controlling and preventing the use of pirated programs in companies.
Security
As we mentioned before, the use of them can leave our equipment vulnerable. In the same way you can do it with other computers that are connected to the same network. and other malware often take advantage of compressed packages such as.
Instability
The applications that have been cracked, as we saw before, have undergone modifications in their code. This makes them unstable and they run with the probability of presenting a malfunction. This leads to loss of information that may be important to you.
loss of technical service
Taking into account the possible losses mentioned, where can you make a claim or ask for a solution? Support or technical service is present in all copyrighted software. And it is precisely to him that you can make claims or request a fix regarding the application. In most cases, they will request verification that you have the legal product.
outdated
In many cases, cracking a program means cutting communication between it and its developer. This brings with it a problem: the small and large updates that companies make to the applications will not reach your program. In addition to the insecurity that this implies, you could be using outdated software.
In another vein, it is important to say that the development and maintenance of all payment applications required hours of work. And when cracking these programs jobs are put at risk. Imagine that someone offers your same product for free.
On the other hand, there is a philosophical current that maintains that “Software is knowledge and it must be able to spread without hindrance. Its concealment is an antisocial attitude and the possibility of modifying a program is a form of freedom of expression.” With these two arguments a dilemma arises.
Cracking Tools What kind of software is used in the process?
Depending on the type of product registration or authentication system, different varieties of crack are often used and in some cases they work together.
Among the main ones we can find:
keygen
It is an access code generator program. It shows different serials that can be used to activate a program. In many cases these codes are insufficient and the crack must contain another tool that allows change the actual operation of the application to hack to accept said key.
load
This software modifies the startup of the program, adding its own functions to it. They are usually used to introduce cheats and cheats for video games.
patches
Given the impossibility of the programs to connect with the updates provided by their developer, the crackers use the patches. This tool can also be used to prevent the program from detecting incorrect serials.
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