How risky is Piracy: Do cracks contain malware?

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  • Опубликовано: 18 окт 2022
  • Is downloading pirated software safe or fraught with malware and trojans? We'll investigate with live examples. www.acronis.com/en-us/product... (Get Acronis with exclusive 30% sponsor discount)
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Комментарии • 1,3 тыс.

  • @cyroz1
    @cyroz1 Год назад +3931

    if you pirate from the right places that are known to be safe you should never have a problem

    • @user-jh9nw6bz6f
      @user-jh9nw6bz6f Год назад +348

      nice joke, as if noone had malvare from popular and "safe" forums

    • @VortexDBD
      @VortexDBD Год назад +436

      @@user-jh9nw6bz6f all u need is csrin

    • @Xcczs
      @Xcczs Год назад +1112

      @@user-jh9nw6bz6f ​From legit and trusted crack sites no one ever had malware, that is why they earned the name "legit" and "trusted" in the first place.

    • @boobtronic9000
      @boobtronic9000 Год назад +2

      @@user-jh9nw6bz6f You don't know what you're talking about p1ss off kid

    • @uremybae8788
      @uremybae8788 Год назад +20

      captain?

  • @M3K1E
    @M3K1E Год назад +3066

    “The easiest way to stop piracy is not by putting antipiracy technology to work, It’s by giving those people a service that’s better than what they’re receiving from the pirates.” -Gabe Newell, 2011
    This is why r/piracy, Github piracy guides, media preservation, virtual machine and common sense are the only way to keep yourself safe while pirating, and for poor people from the third world country.

    • @GregorianMG
      @GregorianMG Год назад +147

      @@h..h And so piracy is the way~~

    • @test-rj2vl
      @test-rj2vl Год назад +314

      Sometimes piracy or at least cracking is needed because original product comes with so much anti-piracy stuff that legit use of this software/game is more pain than use of pirated version. For example if you need to be logged on and constantly online to use offline product.

    • @ghost.8836
      @ghost.8836 Год назад +18

      Hey, last one makes it justifiable for me to pirate! Thank you, Jesus!

    • @Anonymous-qb4vc
      @Anonymous-qb4vc Год назад +4

      Like what

    • @M3K1E
      @M3K1E Год назад

      @@Anonymous-qb4vc like nothing
      just kidding, there are topics about lost media files being saved by piracy so without them, there will be the second Library of Alexandria.
      Plus, you just seem think Alex Hirsch (Creator of Gravity Falls) are looking for excuse to justify piracy when geo restrictions, censorships and banned shows exist.

  • @mradamdavies
    @mradamdavies Год назад +840

    As an old-school ex game cracker, and scene releaser, scene groups don't add malware... Shady sites do. If you just Google random downloads, you WILL have a bad time. Also; if the file has a password it's usually to protect it from antivirus detecting it as malware. Only trust respected groups and their distro channels - RIP Warez-BB.

    • @GhostReaper17
      @GhostReaper17 Год назад +16

      Any recommended site for a begginer?

    • @the_red_gamer
      @the_red_gamer Год назад +4

      @@mradamdavies the best way is a full format of the hard drive

    • @mireeebaaa7691
      @mireeebaaa7691 Год назад +2

      What you think about cpy skidrow?

    • @mradamdavies
      @mradamdavies Год назад +1

      @@mireeebaaa7691 CPY and SKIDROW are two different groups. CPY goes back to 1999, SKIDROW goes way back to 1990. Both are very much trusted scene releases :)

    • @VilerVicious
      @VilerVicious Год назад

  • @IgnacioEsteves
    @IgnacioEsteves Год назад +954

    I think that the video would be even more interesting if you analyzed cracks from known sources. People who know how pirating works would never download that Norton crack, for example. The real and potentiable harm behind piracy is trusting a cracker, and I would love to see a second part of this video investigating "safe piracy" in depth.

    • @HeyLook287
      @HeyLook287 Год назад +112

      It was a sponsored video so he probably made sure it was a softball video to make.

    • @luccafo4190
      @luccafo4190 Год назад +6

      Ey, you seem like a expert on cracking. I used to always crack games when I was little, but filled computers with viruses. Is SteamUnlocked safe?

    • @M3K1E
      @M3K1E Год назад +5

      @Raiyan yes and is no longer recommended from r/piratedgames subreddit

    • @DeathStriker88
      @DeathStriker88 Год назад

      @@M3K1E who are they to suggest anything? reddit is nothing but fricking braindead basement dwellers' community

    • @SrIgort
      @SrIgort Год назад +26

      If he proved that piracy from certain websites is safe his channel would go down for promoting piracy lol

  • @eric-yt
    @eric-yt Год назад +627

    Browse the pirating community and search up who is reputable at any given moment. Torrent from them and hope all goes well. This is about the extent of being "safe".

    • @repairman2be250
      @repairman2be250 Год назад +37

      You are not safe by using M$ Windows to start with.

    • @cate01a
      @cate01a Год назад +11

      @@repairman2be250 windows os isnt safe? why?

    • @thatrawk
      @thatrawk Год назад +70

      @@h..h I know people who have had their iPhone hacked, even iPhones can be hacked and there are many unknown vulnerabilities in every os

    • @lorazepam5451
      @lorazepam5451 Год назад +3

      Bro you life under a rock?

    • @repairman2be250
      @repairman2be250 Год назад

      @@xCDF-pt8kj Your ytube name sounds like a crack that contains some nastiness.

  • @xkiroxX
    @xkiroxX Год назад +304

    If you can easily find it on a search engine its probably not safe.

    • @darkreddust2135
      @darkreddust2135 Год назад +28

      most of the times it's the 3rd or 4th and anything below that that are malicious

    • @tanmaypanadi1414
      @tanmaypanadi1414 Год назад +43

      @@darkreddust2135 you have not been hit by the Msi afterburner ( VLC) ad scam. where it directed you to a malware version of the program.

    • @user-jh9nw6bz6f
      @user-jh9nw6bz6f Год назад +2

      as well if you couldn't

    • @user-qy9tf2im7f
      @user-qy9tf2im7f Год назад +2

      I play around with them on a VM and I would estimate than less than 10% of them I have tried did not have some type of malware in them.

    • @Littlefighter1911
      @Littlefighter1911 Год назад +1

      @@rubenlungu5763 I don't even trust Google search results.
      Better to just enter the URLs you know directly.
      Who can really differ "a" from "а"?
      I certainly can't (the second one is the Cyrillic version and is considered a different character, people can use this to create look-alikes).
      Doesn't help that Google replaces the URL as soon as you right-click it to copy it out and analyze it.
      I've actually seen cases in which I clicked on one of these ad-farm sites on Google, because they copied news text from a different website for the crawler.
      And they managed to be ranked in like 6th or 7th place with that.

  • @corumuk67
    @corumuk67 Год назад +291

    A friend of a friend said that when it comes to cracks, using a bit of common sense goes a long way, along with sourcing said cracks from more reputable sites. Googling for the crack and clicking random links is definitely not the way to go...

    • @overlord3481
      @overlord3481 Год назад +8

      So there is no way of defending yourself from malware, other than trust?

    • @belldrop7365
      @belldrop7365 8 месяцев назад

      @@overlord3481 Trust, common sense and extensive protection on your system. You need at least two of the three. Because a solid protection that's more than just freeware stuff can be too expensive if you're resorting pirating in the first place.

    • @aerialz7175
      @aerialz7175 8 месяцев назад

      @@overlord3481 well when you take the unintended route you get the unintended stuff

    • @lobotomite902
      @lobotomite902 7 месяцев назад

      an antivirus@@overlord3481

    • @YouTubeCensorshipStinks
      @YouTubeCensorshipStinks 7 месяцев назад

      ​@@overlord3481
      Unfortunately without having access to the source code, that's how it works for any program, even ones like Microsoft Edge.
      Is especially troublesome because things like game trainers (cheat programs) and cracks do similar things to what viruses do but in a good way.
      The safest way I've learned is to just not buy games from places with DRM. It sucks being limited, but I never have to crack legally purchased games again.

  • @wolf1438
    @wolf1438 Год назад +539

    The game companies invented the best anti-piracy solution. Releasing buggy unfinished games that forces user to constantly update the game. These game updates in 99% cases disables working crack. In past it was not big deal, there were 3-4 small major patches over lifetime of game, but now? You install 50 GB new game and after first launch you are waiting for download of 100 GB zero-day update.

    • @clmBerserker
      @clmBerserker Год назад +136

      In theory yes in practice it keeps me from buying new games.
      Why waste time on half finished games that run poorly?

    • @soooslaaal8204
      @soooslaaal8204 Год назад +40

      @@clmBerserker pretty much, I end up playing and even paying occassionally for older games because I don't have the space or patience to play half baked games

    • @cate01a
      @cate01a Год назад +21

      also unfortunate to say but denuvo is seemingly getting properly more and more resistant. it's held off popular games for a very long time. Even if it's still simple enough to crack, it deteres crackers for a long time to make the anti pirating methods effective in getting people to buy the game instead

    • @clmBerserker
      @clmBerserker Год назад +4

      @@cate01a That may be true, but what I read is that many games patch out the software a few months after it gets cracked, because of how many issues the software creates.

    • @clmBerserker
      @clmBerserker Год назад +4

      @@SomeRandomGuy8814
      What about them?
      What exacly are you asking?
      You cant just say what about x, without clarifying so that it makes x small enough to actuall be a question someone can answare. What the hell are we suppose to gather from this?

  • @GoodGooseThingit
    @GoodGooseThingit Год назад +440

    Hi Leo, could you please do a video on how safe VM’s are at keeping malware contained? Thanks :)

    • @Alan_Dler
      @Alan_Dler Год назад +29

      that is an interesting topic

    • @igorthelight
      @igorthelight Год назад +57

      Most malware can't escape VM environment so it's much more secure that if to just run it on bare metal.
      Most malware - but not all ;-)

    • @GigawattGarage
      @GigawattGarage Год назад +66

      Theoretically they are very safe and is the correct way to test apps but more recently developers of a malicious application could just write a few bits of code to detect if the system is a virtual environment or not and if it is a virtual environment they could program their application to do nothing or act normal and then when you run it on your main system it knows it’s not in a virtual environment anymore and executes its malicious payload. Best to have an isolated test system on an isolated network, test the file, run it a few time do a few restarts and if everything seems normal a few hours later it SHOULD be safe👀

    • @YouMakeItHappen
      @YouMakeItHappen Год назад +32

      Vm escape is the holy grail for malware authors. Thus software developers keep it patched and secure regularly. However as an another commenter noted, malware can be written to detect if its on a VM or not and act accordingly.

    • @Belisiario
      @Belisiario Год назад

      @@GigawattGarage Isn't there a way to masquerade the virtual environment as the main system in order to be able to see whether it's really a virus or not?

  • @replikvltyoutube3727
    @replikvltyoutube3727 Год назад +114

    Pirates/Piracy groups have a codex they follow. If you get stuff made by them it's pretty safe. Antivirus may be triggered by crack because it's modifying memory (which some viruses did/do)

    • @punisher427
      @punisher427 Год назад +38

      Fitgirl, Dodi, Empress.... Goldberg... Legends 💯✅

    • @hendrixc6988
      @hendrixc6988 Год назад +9

      @@punisher427 Empress GOAT

    • @thechugg4372
      @thechugg4372 Год назад

      @@punisher427 and of all these names only Fitgirl actually has a public website that's safe to use....

    • @aungaster1945
      @aungaster1945 Год назад +6

      I only knew Oldcodex. Thanks.

    • @323dist
      @323dist Год назад +1

      @@punisher427 agfy

  • @forrandomsites3336
    @forrandomsites3336 Год назад +41

    Funny enough, in a lot of pirate sites, the site itself isn't the risk, it's the ads that are there. And more often than not you can tell which is the download button and which is the fake one, by seeing if the button matches the ui/website style, does it have a small little "x" and "i" in the top right corner, the resolution or image quality of the download button, and how the button is animated.
    But rule of thumb, is NEVER trust a piracy site that doesn't show ads, nor an option to donate, nor a means of gaining funds, and never let it download an exe to download a game instead of the game files, those likely are to be very dangerous.

    • @rizzXyguy
      @rizzXyguy 8 месяцев назад +1

      Why bro exe is virus or what

    • @chrisdawson1776
      @chrisdawson1776 7 месяцев назад +5

      Why are you not using AdBlock if you're already pirating stuff? Tf

    • @iamerror1699
      @iamerror1699 13 дней назад

      @@chrisdawson1776 Sometimes they require you to disable your adblock.

  • @skylarkblue1
    @skylarkblue1 Год назад +60

    Problem with scanning cracks as well is multiple AVs actually detect the cracking tools/dlls and such as malware even though they are just cracking tools. General concensus is they're paid off to add those things to the detections but it does make it much harder to check cracks for malware.

  • @3dsonsuce01
    @3dsonsuce01 Год назад +189

    Really depends on what site you use for piracy

    • @marioa.9442
      @marioa.9442 Год назад

      @@ididntmeantoshootthatvietn5012 no the fuck its not

    • @ygx6
      @ygx6 Год назад

      @@ididntmeantoshootthatvietn5012 yesn't

    • @Kelette
      @Kelette Год назад +32

      @@ididntmeantoshootthatvietn5012 definitely not

    • @darkleader2056
      @darkleader2056 Год назад +3

      @@Kelette which is a good one

    • @Mitke420
      @Mitke420 Год назад

      @@darkleader2056 fit girl repacks site Just that url others are fake sites

  • @rrdias4742
    @rrdias4742 6 месяцев назад +10

    3:35 Hello, can you explain what did you see in the Process Explorer window that indicated you your computer was infected? I didn't get it. Thanks a lot!

  • @GabrielTobing
    @GabrielTobing Год назад +43

    Most veteran crack finders know that it's all based on word of mouth.
    Cracks need to sometimes have things that may seem like viruses, to actually crack the app.
    Therefore it's all word of mouth to find the right ones. I've managed to find my favorite ones and have sticked with them, no issues at all with them.
    Randomly searching up cracks is where the major issues lies sadly.

  • @leonidas14775
    @leonidas14775 Год назад +45

    The first red flag is when the EXE you clicked disappears.

    • @HereAfterNow
      @HereAfterNow Месяц назад

      Not true. Windows erases a lot of false positives

  • @AndreasVictorsson
    @AndreasVictorsson Год назад +27

    I loved the humor and the nostalgia...
    Great vid :)
    Also: I won't tell the cops you googled cracks for a 20+ year old game... for educational purposes...

    • @JWuschel
      @JWuschel 7 месяцев назад +1

      He has the disc so hes fine.

  • @sc_3433
    @sc_3433 Год назад +9

    hey man, what do you think about secure boot? do you think it helps with some types of malware or is just a gimmick? can you test something like that?

    • @Littlefighter1911
      @Littlefighter1911 Год назад +1

      Secure Boot without extending it to user-run applications is a joke (Most malware aren't rootkits).
      That's why Windows 11 requires a TPM so they can potentially extend it to only trusted applications (so that the entire system is protected).
      It's also why I won't install Windows 11.
      I don't want Microsoft to dictate what application is able to run on my system and I don't want to be judged by online games for not having the super mega safe mode active.
      It's already a thing with Valorant and it sucks.

  • @0AThijs
    @0AThijs Год назад +97

    Games are usually safe, it's software/tools like daw's, antivirus, video editing, rescaling, etc...
    That are targeted the most.

    • @Filipex13
      @Filipex13 Год назад +13

      yes, i tried to install a video editing software and got virus, but i never got with games.

    • @pygmalion8952
      @pygmalion8952 Год назад +5

      So true
      I was able to get virus free cracked zbrush and substance painter but i cant get myself to update those

    • @mvh7762
      @mvh7762 Год назад +7

      As with everything, you just need to find the right sources. I've downloaded a lot of tool software in the past, all from a certain site, and never had any issues

    • @vinayakhegde1044
      @vinayakhegde1044 Год назад +2

      @@pygmalion8952 did you get those from getinto pc?

    • @jeovie8172
      @jeovie8172 Год назад

      @@mvh7762 a friend wanta DavinciResolve Studio, but man it is to pricy

  • @jjb0894
    @jjb0894 Год назад +309

    “File password” is an immediate red flag for me.
    My theory on this is it’s in an encrypted ZIP to avoid detection by AV programs.

    • @amnottabs
      @amnottabs Год назад

      you're not wrong but I wouldn't call it a red flag, even "legit" cracks/activators tends to be flagged by AVs

    • @Sammysapphira
      @Sammysapphira Год назад +151

      File password is to prevent online file hosts from being able to check the data. Technically you can do search queries to search for combinations of files to find copyrighted software. Adding a password means there's no way for these automated sniffers to flag suspicious potential piracy.

    • @Jesujej
      @Jesujej Год назад +24

      why password is a redflag? meanwhile just run this AUTOEXTRACTING EXECUTABLE
      cheers :)

    • @TorutheRedFox
      @TorutheRedFox Год назад +9

      your best bet is to scan the contents through virustotal and evaluate the results (if it's either completely clean or you only get generic/crack detections, it should be fine)

    • @Jodlkacke
      @Jodlkacke Год назад +9

      @@TorutheRedFox and dont give a crap about the number of engines detecting something. check for the big players. check what sophos or eset's engine detects. if they file alert, its probably one.
      or atleast its reasonable why it was detected.
      its beyony my understanding how the process in the video wasnt flagged by every major engine. the process autoextracted itself and masked itself as eventvwr. any good behavioral engine should be able to detect that

  • @kendarr
    @kendarr Год назад +12

    This is NOT how must people go about this, as someone who needed to crack some stuff/games when I was younger, I'm telling you, the scene people you can trust, if one of them seem shady, they get removed from 'the scene', and that has happened before.

  • @test-rj2vl
    @test-rj2vl Год назад +4

    Could you do video on how to analyse this exe? I would be interested to learn. I mean running it on VM is just first step. But what if it's custom written malware that does not get detected and that does only a little activity while computer is idle?

    • @fajaradi1223
      @fajaradi1223 Год назад +3

      Yeah ...
      Most malware nowadays is just laying there dormant doing nothing. Until a specific time and date, then somehow it activating itself.

    • @danialrafid
      @danialrafid Год назад +1

      Check the processes tab for suspicious processes, and check the startup tab.
      Check the temp folder and Windows folder.
      Most malware if not all hides itself in C drive

  • @yol_n
    @yol_n Год назад +2

    What "extensive checks" do you do? Can you teach us how to do these checks so we can verify the files we download?

  • @mrb3991
    @mrb3991 Год назад +1

    Hi Thanks for a Great video, Is there an alternative to acronis, i think 35 dollars a year is not bad, but wondered if there's a free alternative ??? thanks

  • @EthanBB
    @EthanBB Год назад +7

    I multiple times sent game "medicine" to ESET for analysis and all of them got removed from detections, because they were just doing what they said they would, no-cd bypass.

  • @JohnDoe-ln8jp
    @JohnDoe-ln8jp Год назад +78

    AV vendors get paid to classify pirated software as malware. The goal is to have users not trust it either because their AV told them so, or because they cant tell from the noise and get infected. This is anti-security and I hate that.
    That being said, some crack behavior is suspicious, and many cracks have packer/anti reverse engineer behavior for various reasons. There I have no problem that it is detected.

    • @JohnDoe-ln8jp
      @JohnDoe-ln8jp Год назад +10

      For running untrusted payloads, it would be important to use a HIPS like Comodo (I don't know of any other good one currently) on paranoid setting. Any suspicious action is detailed and can be blocked. If you see a crack "injecting into game.exe" that's fine. If you see it dropping files in system32 and injecting into explorer.exe, well, kill it. Not foolproof but if you want to do that stuff, that's how you secure yourself.

  • @lnbree3
    @lnbree3 Год назад

    Hello i had a question , is the photoshop crack on the website fixthephoto safe ? cuz i downloaded it ( not totally i instantly canceled but yk ) hope youll reply

  • @beneficialhistory
    @beneficialhistory 3 месяца назад +1

    How good idea of ​​testing the application by running it on a virtual machine?

  • @sergiobejaranoolivera1396
    @sergiobejaranoolivera1396 Год назад +7

    I always create a few restore points before downloading anything. I always analyze everything with virustotal and Kaspersky.
    Anyways I have sometimes got infected (I think). 4 days after downloading a few games my controller didn't work. Or for example after downloading another one, the day later the Bluetooth tab instantly closed as I opened it. I had a restore point so no problem.

  • @mytube001
    @mytube001 Год назад +9

    I stopped using cracked programs and games completely 11 years ago when I switched from Mac to Windows. I play few enough games that it's not a problem buying them, and I usually try to get them for free or on sale through Steam or Epic. For other stuff, well, there are so many free/open source alternatives out there, and the few that don't have good free alternatives I can often afford to buy. If not, I'll make do without.

  • @arnav_mehta
    @arnav_mehta Год назад +1

    which av/firewall do you use personally?

  • @FutureLaugh
    @FutureLaugh 10 месяцев назад

    windows defender didnt stop that trojan in its tracks? its pretty good. Do you reccomend opening the shady files in a virtual pc first, and find out if its no good there?

  • @ChrisGrump
    @ChrisGrump Год назад +14

    You just need to know from who and where you download the pirated game.

    • @hircine92h
      @hircine92h Год назад +1

      Thats actually true and accurate.

  • @johnderat2652
    @johnderat2652 Год назад +13

    Okay but how can I reverse engineer suspicious files to know if they're malicious or not? Where can I learn to do this ?

    • @iCrimzon
      @iCrimzon 9 месяцев назад +1

      Youre gonna have a terrible time doing that, cause reverse engineering usually involves knowing Assembly (at least for games)

    • @LC-mq8iq
      @LC-mq8iq 20 дней назад

      go to college

  • @takuminightcore1886
    @takuminightcore1886 Год назад +1

    If you know which website to pirate the stuff from such, just like if I wanted to play an old game, I go through someplace like my abandonware which is mostly certified, and also gives out virus, free, cracks, or no cd patches, so it’s a mixed bag

  • @lukasostar3008
    @lukasostar3008 Год назад +1

    can you elaborate on diagnosing malware using process explorer?
    large amount of svchost.exe processes?
    thanks

  • @nqvo
    @nqvo Год назад +12

    Reddit's pirated games page and their megathread, all you need.

    • @Zeqeson
      @Zeqeson 8 месяцев назад

      Are they safe?

    • @malvin0arifin040
      @malvin0arifin040 8 месяцев назад

      ​@@Zeqesonyea

    • @Zeqeson
      @Zeqeson 8 месяцев назад

      @@malvin0arifin040 how do I download via reddit i have no idea???

  • @PotatoToon
    @PotatoToon Год назад +22

    It's already a red flag when it says torrent but what you get is a direct download to an exe file.

    • @cate01a
      @cate01a Год назад +3

      and when theres a generic big massive button

    • @Czoy9
      @Czoy9 10 месяцев назад +1

      ​@@cate01aI clicked that button and downloaded the exe file, and run it and got a virus

    • @AlexandriaTheSecond
      @AlexandriaTheSecond 7 месяцев назад

      @@Czoy9good for you

  • @lordadz1615
    @lordadz1615 11 месяцев назад

    Do you take requests for files that show up as malware in virus total but is a likely false positive? I have a program i want to use but i wanted to check it. Its not piracy stuff either btw.

  • @JuanxDlol
    @JuanxDlol Год назад +22

    For old games with DRM CD/DVD there is no choice but piracy witch sucks, because i just wanted to play C&C generals on my PC, the kapersky equivalent to virustotal has been helping with detections, their scan with virustotal scan should help with these cases.
    Also a system scan after using or installing said pirated software is good to see how legit it is after checking it.

    • @lappo7290
      @lappo7290 Год назад

      Same. The first time I tried getting C&C Generals on piratebay it gave my laptop tons of viruses to the point of HDD breaking and having to reinstall everything from the ground up (including OS).
      Got a working copy on cs.rin soon after thanks to r/piracy

    • @sussyb1471
      @sussyb1471 Год назад

      Mine are Counter Strike 1.6 and Arma 1 👀

    • @JWuschel
      @JWuschel 7 месяцев назад

      They pay anti virus software to add cracking programs and dll's to show them as a virus / malware bro, that's why kms activation tools for windows show every single dll file as a virus / trojan / Malware / spyware etc., cause they're fine most of the time. Except u got a bad one. test it in a vm. Windows defender is absolute shit btw.
      Just know what u're doing and u'll be fine, have backups so u can restore, or... Use Linux - best solution of all

    • @davehenderson6896
      @davehenderson6896 Месяц назад

      @@JWuschel Linux can't stop a virus if you don't know it's a virus and you activate it.

  • @DaemonCross
    @DaemonCross Год назад +24

    Hi, PC Security Channel (or anyone else, haha).
    There is this controversy regarding a recently released game called "Undecember" and so far the general issue is the fact that it installs 'nprotect' an anti-hack software that people in the forums are claiming to be a 'rootkit' that stays in the computer even after 'Undecember' has been uninstalled.
    I feel that this particulary is related and could be of interest for the next topic to cover... and i'll be honest I am curious as to whether those commenters warnings/worries are valid. About whether this is something that people have to be concerned about as it becomes a standard practice by "gaming" companies.

    • @Acooky.
      @Acooky. 7 месяцев назад +1

      actually an interesting topic, i've noticed people are starting to call out weird Anti-cheats and software being bundled in games alot more frequently.

  • @justanotherpxrson
    @justanotherpxrson Год назад +48

    It would be cool if you demonstrated something that is obviously too good to be true that is packed with viruses. You know, something along the lines of "free robux" or something dumb like that. I am genuinely curious just how much damage this stuff can cause (if its not just straight up ransomware that is).

    • @fajaradi1223
      @fajaradi1223 Год назад +3

      I'm thinking about online game cheats and map hacks. Most of their users are teenager and young adult, who's emotionally very mature.

  • @justintime4187
    @justintime4187 Год назад

    I'm doing something like this for my CS class project, but I don't have any experience. How would I go about analyzing exe's in-depth for malware?

    • @danialrafid
      @danialrafid Год назад

      Launch them in a sandbox and monitor what they do

  • @trooperx36
    @trooperx36 Год назад +1

    Would sandboxing the infected programs be a safer way to go about testing these cracks?

  • @MrRobot-lm2lo
    @MrRobot-lm2lo Год назад +3

    we need a good technique to detect malware or something like that in games or apps

  • @ggJin
    @ggJin Год назад

    How do you find out where a file came from? In my downloads folder there's a file named settings. I've deleted it and it eventually came back. Deleted it once again. I don't recall opening or running anything shady

    • @ggJin
      @ggJin Год назад

      nvm found it, but still curious on how one would find out where a file came from/what created it

  • @tubehenry
    @tubehenry Год назад

    You always seem to come back to Hitman Pro - is this consider a better choice than things like Bitdefender or Malwarebytes, or is it a different type of tool?

    • @tubehenry
      @tubehenry Год назад

      @Ray
      I realize that, but the AVs are also scanners. I was only wondering why HitmanPro seem to be the one we come back to every time, even as a tool to check how well other software is doing.
      If HitmanPro's scanner is average or not that great, it seems arbitrary to use it to check how well AV software is doing.
      What is so special about HitmanPro is what I am wondering.
      I have a computer where trojan powershell (generic) keeps popping up on Malwarebytes. I clean ut with that, but a few days later they're back - plural.
      HitMan Pro never finds them.
      are they false positives om MWB? Perhaps, but then that is why I am wondering .. Why are trusting Hitman Pro so much?
      Thank you, though.

    • @tubehenry
      @tubehenry Год назад

      ​@Ray
      I understand the thinking. That doesn't tell me if this is the case with Hitman Pro though. It isn't a given that because a company doesn't have to work on removing malware (which Hitman Pro does, by the way), that their detections abilities are better.
      One does not explain the other here. - It doesn't logically follow that one automatically get better at detection if one doesn't have to concentrate on removal.
      Besides, some of these AV companies, like Kaspersky, Bitdefender, Norton, are relative large companies with a good amount of people working on these very things, detection AND removal.
      But thank you for answering. I haven't really gotten any real answer as to why Hitman Pro is the one we keep going back to, if there are any numbers out there showing it getrs better results than other software, but I understand you trust it. ;)

  • @ENNEN420
    @ENNEN420 Год назад +7

    Piracy is the only true form of archival and freedom from restrictive and malicious DRM that tracks every keystroke you make and slows the performance of your legally bought copy. Staying safe with piracy is basic computer literacy.

  • @jsnotlout3312
    @jsnotlout3312 Год назад +8

    Need or speed hot pursuit 2 is super fun. I got it from a thrift store a while back and had a blast! Whenever a site has ad download buttons it is really suspicious.

    • @ygx6
      @ygx6 Год назад

      Torrent seedboxes (that seed the torrent without user interaction) don't pay for themselves

  • @McLovin_710
    @McLovin_710 2 месяца назад

    Hey just a question , would blocking software from connecting to the internet help with the chance of malware or data being siphoned out?

  • @methukasansana4488
    @methukasansana4488 4 месяца назад +1

    I have a question, i downloaded a game, it shows that its launcher is clean but virus total flagged its steam_api.dll file as a threat only 1 flag and also steam_client.dll as a threat it is also only one flag. does it really contain malware?

  • @gir489returns2
    @gir489returns2 Год назад +5

    Devious! They'll never suspect putting malware in a cracked anti-malware software!

  • @crymew
    @crymew Год назад +3

    What about FirGirl Repacks? Does it have a virus in it?

    • @VfXsalmon
      @VfXsalmon 3 месяца назад

      it does not. If you only download in the real site

  • @aniksen3831
    @aniksen3831 Год назад

    hi i recently purchased macfee live security is it good enough?

  • @Timo-Epis
    @Timo-Epis Год назад

    How much do you guys thrust empress ?

  • @slawnyfivemowiec
    @slawnyfivemowiec Год назад +6

    Hey. The real sites with Cracks are always hidden by default on google, so all you see are just ads/malware. I know some trusted sites but always remember to use an antivirus + virustotal each file :>

  • @Eclipseballer1994
    @Eclipseballer1994 Год назад +9

    In your opinion - why do so many AVs false alert keygens and cracks as Trojans?

    • @igorthelight
      @igorthelight Год назад

      Because of HOW they do their job. It's very looks like a Trojan (they are modifying executable or one of it's DLLs, hunt for specific keys in the Registry or do other "suspicious activities").

    • @StiekemeHenk
      @StiekemeHenk Год назад +2

      They don't false alert, you can look at it and check that it says its a "keygen" or "Not-a-virus" but still blocked.
      As he said, its not worth it for them to check if some illegal program is safe or not, you shouldn't open or download it in the first place.

    • @GainingDespair
      @GainingDespair Год назад +8

      Both malware, and cracks work in a similar manner, most DRM is smart enough to tell if it's been compromised, if so it will crash/break the game in bizarre ways. Most cracks do not fully remove the DRM, simply bypass it, the methods used to bypass is frequently combined with obfuscation. Malware will attempt to obfuscate itself from the security solution, cracks will attempt to obfuscate itself from DRM.
      Even if they successfully crack a software it doesn't mean it's over, while there are many forms of DRM most advanced DRM will actively check it's integrity. If the DRM believes it's been compromised it can break the software. Many ways of doing this, it can appear the crack wasn't successful, or something else is wrong, mostly a last line of defense. The goal is to than alter the crack, via obfuscation so the DRM doesn't detect it's been compromised, so it will allow the software to run properly as intended.
      Often times false alerts/flags doesn't mean bad software, it just means a lot of shady actions, or actions typically used by malware to hide itself. Since they can both act the same they both get the same type of responses.

    • @jsnotlout3312
      @jsnotlout3312 Год назад

      Most of them act in similar ways too real malware.

    • @null643
      @null643 Год назад +2

      Kaspersky is great when it comes to this. I previously had Bitdefender which was so annoying it kept giving false flags but Kaspersky doesn't, at the very least not as often.

  • @5654Martin
    @5654Martin Год назад

    What’s the engine behind a Acronis?

  • @CalmaxFilm
    @CalmaxFilm Год назад

    Hi, since events and your video, I won't download any crack in my life. BUT I have a last question that worried me.
    If my AV detected a trojan, and then deleted it immediately after put it in quarantine, is it already too late or it's ok ?

    • @danialrafid
      @danialrafid Год назад

      Cracks aren't dangerous if you get it from reputable sources.
      And if your AV detected a trojan, then that means it's already basically deleted. If you want to be safe reinstall windows and delete your data

    • @Unknown-qr7mj
      @Unknown-qr7mj 9 месяцев назад

      Trojan can be pretty dangerous. Make sure you do some check on that specific trojan

  • @l337pwnage
    @l337pwnage Год назад +12

    Regardless of one's opinion on copyright law, it's like asking a cop if your weed is poisoned.

  • @rrkred3561
    @rrkred3561 Год назад +4

    youve gotta be an experienced pirater to know where to get your product. only times I've gotten nearly infected is when I lowered my guard.

  • @ambushbugz
    @ambushbugz Год назад

    I needed that kind of channel, thank you my good sir for your time

  • @Romanitto
    @Romanitto Год назад +2

    Usually game cracks are save, but looking for AV crack that something strange cos most times you will stuck with old version of AV or it will not work at will error for key/activation validation

    • @lordeilluminati
      @lordeilluminati Год назад

      Yes, the most common is Avast. The trick to get a pro license until 2099 exists for a long time, even when I had my second computer but they probably know this. When you do this "trick" it does remove activation prompts and tell your license is paid until 2099 but the program itself will stop seeking updates, saying that its always up to date when it isnt. On an antivirus software, updates are essential.

  • @xaviersavedra711
    @xaviersavedra711 Год назад +8

    The irony of a cracked AV being malware.

    • @prafullrahangdale666
      @prafullrahangdale666 7 месяцев назад

      😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

    • @vaultboy6911
      @vaultboy6911 6 месяцев назад

      How does this work? Like, does the antivirus deletes its components afterwards? lol

  • @Illustalkero
    @Illustalkero 9 месяцев назад +5

    Firstly, no one downloads from sites like you showed on video

    • @Nikawlos
      @Nikawlos 8 месяцев назад +2

      true lol, only to those who have an atom sized brain.

  • @Murray92
    @Murray92 Год назад

    The discount code for Acronis doesn't seem to work

  • @carvanniandrew5932
    @carvanniandrew5932 Год назад

    I love that stay informed stay secured at the end you helped me a lot thank you Much love my friend

  • @jxeyu
    @jxeyu Год назад +34

    Piracy is very risky in reality. You need to be able to spot the difference between a fake and a real crack and have a solid AV as a last defence.

    • @GregorianMG
      @GregorianMG Год назад +1

      @@-Blue-_ Aside from that, the forum that do the cracking with download link is generally safe too.

    • @RandomGeometryDashStuff
      @RandomGeometryDashStuff Год назад

      also have a windows 7 vm with no network card for every cracked software

    • @abhishekahirvar7783
      @abhishekahirvar7783 Год назад +1

      You can't have av

    • @kinghassan3122
      @kinghassan3122 3 месяца назад +2

      I downloaded thousands of hacked games in my life, but I never had an issue, and I don't even know what's a crack 😂😂😂

    • @demarcuswilliams548
      @demarcuswilliams548 21 день назад

      The only things I've cracked are fl studio omnisphere, the game spore, and minecraft. I never had a problem, but probably due to how little softwares I did this with.

  • @YouTubeCensorshipStinks
    @YouTubeCensorshipStinks 7 месяцев назад +2

    Thank you ! I don't crack warez, I have to crack games I legitimately own because DRM is so problematic that I can't even play my purchase.
    Like when EA forced updated Sims 3 to need to always be online. I'm like why?

    • @user-vb1kj9bm6f
      @user-vb1kj9bm6f 4 месяца назад

      The best way is to never pay for software with DRM. Personally, I only give money for open source products, which are inherently DRM-free.

  • @vdinh143
    @vdinh143 Год назад +1

    What about pirated media? Media files aren't meant to have executable code in it, I imagine. So if you find anything it's probably malicious, am I on the right track?

    • @the_red_gamer
      @the_red_gamer Год назад

      Images can have script have you heard of the Windows 0 day vulnerability

  • @patximartel
    @patximartel Год назад +2

    What I don't understand is that when I work with Google Ads they are SUPER picky with the ads I submit, but then you enter a shady website with ads from the Google Display Network and they are scummy, clickbaity and shady trash; IT'S SO FRUSTRATING.

  • @KamiKaZeJeremy
    @KamiKaZeJeremy Год назад +15

    you know what is even more dangerous? sports links like the ones shared to watch NBA games and Pay Per View content, i wish you do something similar with sports links to see how dangerous they really are ...
    I'm a fan of your work 🙂✌🏾

  • @danielyoung_
    @danielyoung_ Год назад +3

    As a general rule, just torrent the most popular seeded releases from the most reputable sites.

  • @StarTrailMedia
    @StarTrailMedia Год назад +2

    Learned this lesson the hard way.

  • @VudivePlays
    @VudivePlays Год назад

    How do you fix it mm my PC is infected by exactly the same malware

  • @premakumari8320
    @premakumari8320 Год назад +15

    Please post more videos on safety issues with pirated software...

    • @user-jh9nw6bz6f
      @user-jh9nw6bz6f Год назад +5

      there could be only 1 advice, avoid piracy

    • @repairman2be250
      @repairman2be250 Год назад +1

      which software would like to see in particular.

    • @hircine92h
      @hircine92h Год назад +1

      @@user-jh9nw6bz6f No.

    • @user-jh9nw6bz6f
      @user-jh9nw6bz6f Год назад

      @@hircine92h what else?

    • @pxllfx3207
      @pxllfx3207 Год назад +1

      ​@@user-jh9nw6bz6f oo yes will you please transfer some millions who don't earn or to whom their parents didn't support in the gaming

  • @sergiobejaranoolivera1396
    @sergiobejaranoolivera1396 Год назад +15

    I got scared so hard when Nvidia was hacked. I had cpu and gpu at 90% and I thought it was because of the games I downloaded. I got rid of them before hearing that it was an Nvidia attack xD. I managed to remove it by health checks, windows defender and Kaspersky and all the files that they removed came from different folders but all had Nvidia in the name

  • @memthemems1026
    @memthemems1026 Год назад +2

    Is kaspersky better than acronich cyber home office ? We need a comparsion if u don't mind ? Or a new general comparison between antivi programms?pls

  • @AeroAngle
    @AeroAngle 9 месяцев назад

    how do you know your getting affected 3:41?

  • @Rangure02
    @Rangure02 Год назад +4

    Many thanks to the comments that say things like "if you look in good sources you won't have any problems" and proceed to not mention any "good sources".

    • @adrekiy0
      @adrekiy0 Год назад +7

      r/piracy's wiki has some good resources. can't link here bc youtube would probably eat my comment for the link

    • @carbon7825
      @carbon7825 Год назад +1

      r/FREEMEDIAHECKYEAH/wiki/games/

  • @5fmuke535
    @5fmuke535 Месяц назад +4

    Instead, install high security risk software from steam, epic, ubisoft, EA,

  • @shaked2525
    @shaked2525 9 месяцев назад +2

    Man I was about to put my pc In a lab for a total reset after I downloaded something that I thought was legit (at 4am, half asleep),
    and after watching your video I got Hitman Pro and it removed over 20 infected files from my PC and that one bs infected file I had from yesterday!
    I use my computer to make music (which is my living) the pain I could go through just to reinstall everything is be just unimaginable
    You a life saver! Thank you

  • @sleve_mcdichael_
    @sleve_mcdichael_ Год назад +1

    Can you do a full non biased review of acronis?

  • @GodfreyShourav
    @GodfreyShourav Год назад +3

    Before even try to pirate anything just ask your tech support friend, cause he already knows where to find things that you need to pirate.

    • @demarcuswilliams548
      @demarcuswilliams548 21 день назад

      What if none of yrour friends are deep into tech

    • @GodfreyShourav
      @GodfreyShourav 21 день назад

      @@demarcuswilliams548 then you should be the one, start with FMHY, read everything and learn .

  • @abhilashsingh2576
    @abhilashsingh2576 6 месяцев назад

    why don't you make a course on malware analysis ?

  • @salamdrik
    @salamdrik Год назад

    Is there a way to clean it out?

  • @mcdazz2011
    @mcdazz2011 Год назад +9

    It bugs the hell out of me how often the word "virus" is used incorrectly.

    • @TsunamicBug
      @TsunamicBug Год назад +1

      I just call it malware. When I think of virus I think of disease.

  • @TorutheRedFox
    @TorutheRedFox Год назад +4

    a lot of them are safe, but Windows Defender will sure try to convince you otherwise

  • @oBdurate
    @oBdurate 6 месяцев назад

    Should've also mentioned Hybrid-Analysis. It allows you to upload an exe and run an automated scan like VirusTotal, but it also runs the exe in a sandboxed Windows environment and gives you clues specifically as to what the executable is doing that may be suspect. It's an easy way to gain some additional insight if you can't manually analyze a file locally!

  • @gerald8573
    @gerald8573 Год назад

    The coupon doesn't work for me. :(

  • @arindampal1757
    @arindampal1757 Год назад +3

    Don't worry at all with these stuffs cause one and only Kaspersky the best av it allows these type of files very accurately and protection full on with its own best protection components like application control and manager and the best and advanced thing that's system watcher even I see Kaspersky is the only av who allows crack and free files to execute in your own PCs just awesome and insane by passing through these advanced components and tools.

  • @hackeronte7970
    @hackeronte7970 Год назад +5

    Fitgirl repack ;)

  • @mohamedbatot3613
    @mohamedbatot3613 Год назад

    is Kaspersky Security Cloud good enough to protect me from virus? or should i buy the paid one?

    • @realme1kc12
      @realme1kc12 Год назад +2

      It is good enough if u are a careful internet surfer

  • @imgelo3570
    @imgelo3570 2 месяца назад

    Question. Why do my browser close when i search for virustotal?

  • @qweeq14
    @qweeq14 Год назад +3

    Thanks to Steam pirated games is pretty much a history for me (baring, emulation). I am more concerned about how bad is Anime Stream sites are it's an incredible weakness of mine and I don't even feel secure while using Tor. I was very happy with the Tails system but new windows they say causes problems and I cannot dare to stick that usb to my new rig, it's not even 6 months old yet. I am thinking of buying a laptop just to use it with, tails to be as secure as a non-tech literate like me can be, but even the cheapest laptop is not so cheap and I have failed to install linux before, mostly my fault for buying a laptop with GTX card in it as if it was ever necessary. Sorry for rambling.

    • @Lampadina_17
      @Lampadina_17 Год назад +1

      tails is absolutely safe and even overkill to watch your favourite streaming platforms

    • @danialrafid
      @danialrafid Год назад +2

      An adblocker is enough to be safe on pirated streaming sites, you're too paranoid

    • @lolidemon3163
      @lolidemon3163 7 месяцев назад

      ​@@danialrafid yeah, more like u just need to know wat sites to visit and which ones to avoid

    • @Acooky.
      @Acooky. 7 месяцев назад

      anime sites are the safest, they're some of the least malicious ive had way worse experience with other sites

  • @HyperMediaCompany
    @HyperMediaCompany Год назад +3

    i have never cracked a game but hypothetically I have downloaded a lot of cracked software for games and otherwise and never experienced any virus, even with windows defender disabled (as it hypothetically sucks). so, i would say hypothetically it is fairly safe. (I pirate games all the time, hypothetically)

  • @tf2hyden
    @tf2hyden Год назад

    can we get a new discord link?

  • @ZephCloud
    @ZephCloud 8 месяцев назад

    Is Bitdefender good for theses?

  • @Usernamehere263
    @Usernamehere263 Год назад +8

    I've been pirating for years, never once have i encountered a virus.

    • @ikarus7369
      @ikarus7369 Год назад +1

      thats what the viruses want you to think

    • @SMD965OFFICIAL
      @SMD965OFFICIAL Год назад +2

      You never know, viruses and miners can be very very sneaky

    • @haithamalsuaibe473
      @haithamalsuaibe473 Год назад +2

      What sites are you using? and do you have Anti-virus turned on your computer?

    • @Usernamehere263
      @Usernamehere263 Год назад

      @@haithamalsuaibe473 look up piracy subreddit, windows defender is enough

  • @bluckobluc8755
    @bluckobluc8755 Год назад +11

    People who pirate usually know where to get cracks and such, as a former pirate from used to be European pirate capital (Croatia) it's always the inexperianced bunch who get viruses, get scared for life and then connect it to that one experiance
    I am not saying piracy is good, it's not... But it is annoying some people think you will get malware if you pirate from any site
    If you know what you are doing then you should be okay
    Great vid btw !

    • @Journey_Awaits
      @Journey_Awaits Год назад

      That’s like saying if you to Syria you shouldn’t worry about getting shot. The internet is a warzone