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.

Long story short.

1. Be prepared for disaster.
2. Scan it. Sandbox it if concerned.
3. Firewall inspect/block/allow every outbound comm.
4. Get it from a trusted source.

Basically the same stuff you should be doing with all software.

Edit for firewall clarification.

I trust pirates more than billion or trillion dollar companies. Also, aggressive DRM such as iLok is worse than malware, so eh.

It's partly an honor system but also, anyone distributing malicious cracks are quickly called out whether its on public tracker comments like PirateBay or removed from private trackers.

Distributors of GOOD and CLEAN cracks often earn good rep in the community too, like Monkrus which I've had no issue with before.

Also, in my experience, installing a malware-packaged adobe app isn't actually all that bad if you run a malware scan immediately afterwards. With the scale and breadth of software piracy there isn't much money in making advanced malwares beyond bundling an existing one into an installer. I don't recommend it, but it's still easier and cheaper than paying Adobe!

TLDR the community polices itself pretty well considering.

You're thinking too technical about this. This is a money thing. Personally speaking pirated software/games were chicken soup for my poverty ridden childhood.

If i were to pay for an AutoCAD license , it would be over 200$ A MONTH

If you get the software from reliable source, it is almost certain it does not have malware.

The piracy is an organized activity and people at higher rank nuke the release if it has malware.

Read more here https://opentrackers.org/i/2600_Guide_to_Internet_Piracy-TYDJ.txt

really theres little reason to even use non-foss paid software....

Your assumption is wrong mail can contain executables. Picture can hold executable instructions and so do videos. For example videos and pictures in mail can contain virus. You are not safe just because you download movies and pictures

How come people are willing to download and install pirated software though?

You can just remove "priated" from that statement and come to the same conclusions. Considering the amount of bugs, backdoors and 0-day exploits distributed via official software I sometimes wonder why people execute proprietary, closed source programs at all.

An no, "reputable" companies mean nothing, just look at Microsoft clowning around with their signing keys.

You severely underestimate the power of free stuff

i mean you could always sandbox it

I feel safe, maybe I shouldnt, but my life wouldnt be this good if I didnt have access to everything I cracked lol

Meh, how is surgery a thing? You let people just open you up and dig around your insides?

it's a mix of need and belief in a proper vetting process. For computers there's the additional layer that any one machine is probably low stakes. In early internet days most software was prohibitively expensive but gave you the equivalent of super powers - as a teenager / young adult with ability to take that risk you're not going to do it?

If I get malware, I can just go reinstall my OS. If I pay for software, I'm never getting that money back.

I installed trusted cracks from scene groups. Not everyone who can crack will be a scene group. To get into the scene you need to be well trusted. Scene groups would NOT damage their integrity to install something malicious through a crack

As another user said, check the files you have match the direct uploads from the scene with a site like predb.me

You can search online for more info on scene groups/warez/topsites

Denuvo games performed worse than the cracked version, FYI.

when you dl from any seller site do you know what you get regarding spy/mal/bloatware? for sure?

i would not dl from usenet or a public tracker though.

Most don't invest that much into anti-piracy protection and you can avoid it with simple firewall and GPEdit corrections for the unlimited premium spoof.

There are also the key gens that emulates the server or the software to receive the codes or give a confirmation to the software.

This is all very oversimplified and there are an infinite number of anti-piracy methods that the companies don't even want to try to solve since it's all free advertising and it gets people used to their software when they have to buy it.

it is the same as any binary. you do not know what the author has baked it.

It's one of those high-risk, high-returns case scenarios. You gamble. If you succeed, you will be saving some buck. Some software licences can be very, very expensive.

There is no way of knowing the answer to your questions. You just use your intuition and take a leap of faith.

If you get the crack from a reputable source, you can trust it will be safe. A low seed torrent from a shady place (like The Pirate Bay) is probably a virus. High seed torrent from another source like 1337x or something with more active moderation is generally safe.

If you want to be extra sure, spin up a VM and install the crack there and check it out before doing it on your real machine.

Get software from reputable private trackers only