Software cracking |
Software cracking is the modification of Software to remove encoded copy prevention. Distribution of cracked software (known by the initiated as Warez ), or patches to circumvent software protection on software (commonly known as a crack or a [k] ) is generally an illegal (or more recently, criminal) act of copyright infringement.
= Software cracking techniques =
Software Cracking is most often done by software reverse engineering.
Examples of reverse engineering tools:
= Groups devoted to software cracking =
Some groups devoted to developing tools for software cracks and the distribution of cracked software include the Phrozen Crew, United Cracking Force, Challenge of Reverse Engineering, The Nameless Ones, DrinkOrDie and Seek n Destroy. For details, see list of warez groups.
= Legality and software cracking =
Software cracking is legal in some countries and illegal in others. The use of cracked copies may also be legal or illegal, but it is a separate question.
== Countries in which software cracking is Illegal ==
In the United States, the passing of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) legislation made software cracking, as well as the distribution of information which enables software cracking, illegal.
== Countries in which software cracking is legal ==
Russia
= Positive benefits of software cracking =
Although software cracking is generally damaging, it has some positive effects. For example, the warez groups have helped in increasing the popularity of some file formats such as XviD or MP3. They have been a significant factor in the domination of companies such as Adobe, Borland, and Microsoft, all of whom have benefited from rampant piracy since the 1980s (vast numbers of college students adopt applications from these companies as they are readily available; many go on to use them in their professional lives, purchasing legitimate licenses for business use).
= Example of software cracking =
The most common software crack is the modification of an application s binary to cause or prevent a specific key branch in the program s execution. This is accomplished by reverse engineering the compiled program code until the software cracker reaches the function that contains the primary method of protecting the software. The binary is then modified so the key branch will either always execute a specific region of code or skip over it. Software developers are constantly developing techniques to make this modification increasingly difficult. Almost all common software cracks are a variation of this type.
One example of this modification is a no-CD crack. If a person has lost their application s CD or installed the program from a friend s CD which must be returned, a no-CD crack can allow that person to continue using the software. Installing no-CD cracks also gives the user more freedom and convenience. No-CD cracks remove the need to put the CD into the CD-ROM drive, thus making access to the program easier and less of a chore. In addition, it removes the need for the software to load parts from the CD-ROM or DVD, which is typically up to hundreds of times slower than the harddisk, making program start and execution faster.
Another example is a crack that removes the trial period from shareware or trials making the product function as the full unlocked version. These cracks usually are programs that patch the program executable and sometimes the Shared_library linked to the application. Similar cracks are available for software that requires a hardware dongle.
Another example occurs when businesses break the copy prevention of programs that they have legally purchased but that are software license to particular hardware, so that there is no risk of downtime due to hardware failure (and, of course, no need to restrict oneself to running the software on said hardware only).
There are a number of sites on the internet that let users download no-CD cracks for popular games and applications, at the danger of acquiring a virus, Spyware or Adware. Although these cracks are used by legal buyers of software they can also be used by people who have downloaded a full version of a computer game or a program off of the Internet and through P2P networks.
= Side topics =
== Windows Vista places an end to piracy! ==
Software cracking might become much harder to perform with the release of the Fritz-chip in combination with certain software, like nexus (software) in the next major operating system from Microsoft, Windows Vista. It will be virtually impossible to crack the actual encryption. One way to bypass the copy prevention (not the encryption) might be to emulator a computer with a compromised Fritz-chip. One could then crack the software while it is in the emulator, and then extract it to a real computer.|
|