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Software Cracks: A Great Way to Infect Your PC : KrebsOnSecurity: http://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/06/software-cracks-a-great-way-to-infect-your-pc/
QUOTE:
'Do not download pirated software and cracks from filesharing networks and cracks sites because they are a major source of malware infections.'
'I hope it’s clear from reading this post that
downloading pirated software and software cracks is among the fastest and likeliest ways to infect your computer with something that ultimately hands control over of your PC to someone else.'
'It is almost never safe to download executable programs from peer-to-peer file sharing networks because they are a major source of malware infections.'
And in
the comments:
Cherry: 'Torrented files that are cleared, checked and and rechecked on sites with excellent reputations are unlikely to be malware.
Malware deliberately propagates itself via P2P, and idiots who shouldn’t use P2P download it and spread it around.'
KFritz: 'Russian roulette is played with all but one of the revolver’s chambers EMPTY. * The majority of the downloads don’t have to be infected for the propagators’ strategy to succeed. It’s better for them if most are safe. It persuades the unwary to take risks and download their toxics.
*Fer you youngins, revolvers are the odd looking handguns the cowboys carry in Westerns. Modern weaponry has made Russian roulette obsolete.'
andy1: 'When I was in grad school a decade ago, I was pretty indiscriminate about downloading cracks. I still had a few of those files hanging around on various backups. I was looking for some files recently and when I opened the folders on my current machine, there were a handful of virus/ malware files detected. My suspicion is that when I downloaded those, they were ahead of the antivirus signature files, but now they are found by regular scans. I guess one takeaway from this is that even if the crack you download now seems clean in a virus scan, it may just be that the virus in it is not yet detected…'
prairie_sailor: ' I would say that any download of something “free” that would normally be paid for is very risky for malware. While some of the “cracking” groups MIGHT not be loading their cracks with malware, malware these days generates a lot of money. It would certanly be very tempting for alot of those groups no matter what they say publicly. Does altruism really exist amongs theves? I doubt it.'
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""""""""""""""Jezebel:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Takoking malware:
