![[decorative element]](http://designorati.com/wp-content/themes/d3/images/nav1_topics_OFF.png){kind=small}
Another Good Reason Not To Crack Graphics Software
A program called a keygen will let you use Photoshop CS3 for free–and also turn your production machine into an IRC-botnet zombie.
Digital graphic design software–image editors, layout software, video production software, et cetera–usually comes at a considerable price-tag for the top-drawer product. A user wanting to freelance will find themselves dropping a considerable sum, usually in the neighborhood of $1000 or more for new purchasers, for software from Adobe and Quark.
It is also no secret that, as hard as companies like Adobe and Quark are working to provide their fans and users with their best product, there seem to be at least as many people trying to provide users with ways to get the services of these applications for free. One of the most prevalent forms of copy protection is that of the serial number key, a long, inscrutable string of letters and numbers that registration and activation programs will recognize as authorizing the issuer full use of the application’s license. Mostly today it’s found that entering an activation code key will unlock the features of a demo version, making it a fully-installed version, for example.
Can I Borrow Your Keys?
One development in the software cracking world is the key generator, or “keygen”. What this essentially is is a program that reverse-engineers the code in your applications used to generate the serial or registration number, returning a valid code that can then be used to crack open a demo version or make a trial version one’s own for free use.
Keygens can be found with not much effort on the internet, usually a Google search is all that is required to produce several sites. Recently, a keygen for Photoshop CS3 has been publicized that will generate a valid serial number code to make the demo version a fully workable one, and, for the budget-conscious, these keygens are free for the downloading.
But just as the old saw has it, you can pay for your trouble now–or pay for it later. And the costs of using a keygen to crack open a copy of Photoshop for personal use in the mid-to-long term may be more than merely worrying about a lawsuit for unlicensed software use.
I Think We’re A Clone Now
Recently reported by Softpedia, a keygen designed to crack open Photshop CS3 designed by “macROSS” has the potential to leave a gift that keeps on giving. As explained by Softpedia:
Free product keys for Photoshop CS3 are used as incentive in a social engineering scheme designed to convince unsuspecting users looking for a “free ride” to download and execute the code on their machine. Once a user deploys the Photoshop CS3 Extended keygen, his computer won’t be “his computer” any longer.
Technically speaking, Softpedia quoted SophosLabs, who said:
…analysts encountered a Trojan (Troj/Mdrop-BPE) that came bundled with a password key generator and a worm with IRC backdoor functionality. When run, the Trojan not only drops the password generator crack for Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Troj/Keygen-BI) but as an additional freebie, it potentially turns your computer into a IRC zombie machine (W32/IRCBot-WA) as well
Observing the sheer multiplicity of keygens, we might infer that little of this happens in a vacuum. We think it’s a reasonable conclusion to draw that the aforementioned keygen gift is probably not the only one.
Actually, A Simple Choice
There’s no shame in complaining about the price of software–some of it can be quite expensive. But what we seem to get from paying prices for premium applications are premium functionality–as witness the strides in functionality made by QuarkXPress and, most recently, Adobe with the Creative Suite 3.
But with the dubious nature and genesis of registration and activation circumvention schemes, and especially in light of this new revelation, we think the case is made more strongly than ever to simply avoid pirated software. if cost is an issue, we note that several FOSS up-and-comers such as Scribus and The GIMP exist that allow digital creatives to create quite well (whether or not they are creditable substitutes is a judgment that we find varies from user to user).
In the ongoing debate over whether or not software pricing is fair and whither circumventing copy protection is a valid form of protest, we’ve seen a whole gradient of opinions. But with keygens potentially zombifiying your computer, we think that no matter what one thinks, one observation must hold: not pirating software may be the law, but it’s also a good idea.
- The Wednesday Format: Resizing Images In A Layout Program
- Ulead Announces PhotoImpact 11
- No Reason Not To Upgrade To Photoshop CS3
- An Overview of Desktop Publishing
- Old Habits Die Hard
- Xara Takes on the Giants with Xara Xtreme for Linux and Mac
- Corel Delivers Industry’s First Full-Featured Graphics Suite Certified for Windows Vista
- Critical Flaw Found In Photoshop Plug-In
- Xara Acquired by MAGIX
- RSS – What Have You Done For Me Lately?
sounds like another reason to get a mac, not a reason to not use keygens for way overpriced software. but then again im still using cs1 bought with edu discount and have zero plans (or money) to upgrade. if i had 1000+ bucks to blow id put it toward a new computer.
Yes a some of this is true but not anywhere near all keygens carry trojans. This is our situation: We bought photoshop 7.0 then photoshop got so messed up we had to reinstall. After reinstalling cs3 adobe would not give us a key. So what did I do? I went online and got a keygen generated a key and today our business is functioning normally thanks to the help of keygens!
All keygens created by me have no viruses du to my name!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Current project is installing mac on a pc. Rick probably has a pirated copy of mac the way it sounds
there are alternatives lets see
the obvious Open ones like Scibus, inkscape, gimp.
also krita (for linux)
and serif do good dtp software Pageplus(outputs to pdf) and photoplus too
theres also Corel Draw, Painter, Painshop Pro
theres XaraXtreme too
Lets go with alternative the revenue may make them better down the road too
I have a mac and a diseased virus infested cheap PC which i run the keygens on and it’s not connected to the network. so i have no problem. You can just use a cheap rubbish computer to sacrifice to run the keygens on. I even did that when i used windows. I’d run the keygen on a computer that can be sacrficed. A lot of local computer shops a selling old computers that are only just fast enough to run XP and not much else for around $400 give or take.
You’ve missed the point there by a country mile. Either that, or you’re simply ignoring it.
Regardless of what one’s opinion is of the state of software and its price or whatever issues one as a consumer has with Adobe/Quark/et.al, the fact remains that cracking software is illegal. It will get you fined. It might get you thrown in jail. It’s a stupid thing to do.
Two comments back, someone pointed out that there’s open source alternatives like Scribus, Inkscape, and the GIMP. I’ve tried Scribus and like it quite a lot. It’s open-source, continually developed, and free of cost-all you have to do is download. You can do some pretty killer layout. The GIMP may not be a total replacement for Photoshop but it’s a great alternative for the cash-strapped and does fine work indeed.
To suggest workarounds to enable you to run keygens is foolish, an irresponsible suggeestion to make, and won’t keep you out of trouble with the law. We here at Designorati say, in the strongest possible terms, to completely avoid the temptation to use such a workaround.
DESIGNORATI
Yes we are all lead to believe the s.h.i.t.e that is being put out on websites as a so called frighting tactic I have been using keygens, cracks and patches for as long as I can remember and never had any problems at all. The most important part is to use a up to date virus checker program. remember guys if software was made affordable in the United Kingdom people would buy it. When you think that in the USA they pay half the price we pay in the UK. I not only speak for myself but also other people in the UK the cost of software here is a rip off (rip off Britain we call it). I don’t and will never buy software. please remember the law CANNOT touch a person for using a keygen and if they do they have to do every body this aint going to happen not now or ever.
@ Samuel John Klein you seem to know a lot about nothing. Yes cracking software is illegal, but using a keygen ain’t. Fella there is more chance of finding elvis selling hotdogs than getting as you put it “thrown in jail” yes the goverment are going to pay for me to spend time in jail for running a keygen to run a piece of software. Do you know that people in the UK get away with far far more than that. What a half arsed thing to say. Get your facts right before bleeting out on here.
I use keygens and cracks, and crack programs. I only do it because I have no way of making money and can’t buy it.
@Malc: Your ad hominem sniding will get no response from me, except to answer the point that using a keygen isn’t illegal. So what if it isn’t? Using a sledgehammer isn’t illegal either, but if you maliciously vandalize property with it, you’ve committed a crime. Your point is specious in the extreme.
The point I’ve made here … and the point which some dear people who’ve allowed their oxen to have been gored upon … is that using keygens opens your computer – and presumably you don’t have a stiack of them to do your bidding, I certainly don’t – to harm from viruses. And maybe some in this world get their kicks from disinfecting their boxen. I certainly do not.
Using cracked software is unlawful. There’s no debate here. It’s against the law. Perhaps I misspoke over being “thrown in jail”, but where I come from, this is a criminal wrong as well as a civil one. Regardless of this, you’d be in trouble up to your eyebrows with legal bills the likes of which you’ll never be able to pay. Even if you don’t spend time behind bars, Why risk enormous legal fees and trouble with the law? And here in America, there are business organizations that take anonymous tips and check them out.
Shucks … maybe the chance of your getting caught is infintesimally small. Alright then. Good luck with that.
@ Crezert: I certainly concede that professional graphics tools are spendy. I know what the prices are. You get what you pay for for them, though, as any regular PS user will tell you.
I have had some experience using the open source alternatives, and I highly recommend them for the designer with a tiny budget. At least look into them. Those would be Scribus (for page layout) and the well-known GIMP (for photoshopping). No, The GIMP isn’t exactly a PS replacement, but I’ve used it and you can do some rather accomplished photoshoppery with it. Scribus works like the best parts of QuarkXPress with a bit of InDesign thrown in. And they are available free, as in you don’t pay a thing. They’ve come up to quite a high standard and are examples of the best Open Source has to offer these days.
Once again, the point of the whole article is that, whether or not you are in any legal jeopardy because of using cracked software via keygens, you are at palpable risk of introducing malicious programs to you computer that will corrupt your data and ruin whatever projects you might be working on.
Why someone would want to actually argue with this point, I don’t know, but that’s people for you.