Currently, it is not difficult to find groups sharing cracked software on social networks or websites that provide free applications that cost millions of VND. With just a few clicks, users can download photo editing, video editing, graphic design or office toolkits completely free of charge.
As a design student in Hanoi, Nguyen Minh Tung said that almost all of his study software used to be cracked versions downloaded from online groups.
According to Tung, for design students, having to use many specialized software such as photo editing, video editing or graphic design makes copyright fees a heavy burden.
“A software can cost from a few hundred thousand to millions of VND per month. Students like me are almost unable to buy it all, so we often go online to find cracked versions to use,” Minh Tung shared.
Initially, Tung thought that using cracked software was quite common among students. Many people also shared "reputable" websites with each other, guiding them to turn off antivirus software or adjust the system to install successfully.
At that time, I thought it would only be used for studying, so it was probably okay. Almost everyone around used it, so I gradually found it very normal," Tung said.
Tung said that at one point his personal laptop had dozens of different cracked software installed at the same time. Although the machine often appeared security warnings or operated unusually slowly, he still ignored it because he thought it was due to weak equipment configuration.
Until the end of last year, after downloading a cracked version of video editing software from a link shared in the Facebook group, Tung's computer started to continuously turn on strange ads, automatically open the browser and heat up abnormally even without using heavy tasks.
About a few days later, my personal email account was illegally logged in. Some social media accounts also received strange access warnings. At that time, I was really panicked," Tung recounted.
The male student said that he had to ask friends to check and then discovered that the computer showed signs of being infected with malware stealing data.
I had to take the computer to reinstall the entire operating system, losing almost all of my learning data because I didn't have time to back up. Some design files, even after working for many weeks, were completely lost," Tung said.
After the incident, Tung switched to using free software or registering for cheap student packages instead of continuing to use crack.
“Previously, I thought I would only save a few hundred thousand VND on software. But when data is lost, personal accounts are lost and then the machine has to be repaired, the cost is much higher,” Tung shared.
Not only students, many office workers or freelancers also choose to use crack software to save costs. On technology forums, many posts advertising "full crack", "permanent activation", "lifetime use" attract thousands of downloads.
According to cybersecurity experts, the biggest risk of cracked software lies in the fact that users can hardly know if the installation file contains malware or not.
Network security expert Vu Ngoc Son said that many crackers today are inserted with trojans, spyware or data theft tools. When users turn off antivirus software to install crackers, they unintentionally open the door for malware to enter the computer.
Bad actors often take advantage of the psychology of being greedy for cheap prices or wanting to use it for free to spread malware. Some types of malware can secretly record keyboard operations, steal bank passwords, social media accounts or work data.
Notably, many small businesses also use crack software to cut operating costs. This poses a risk of internal data leakage or cyberattacks.
Also because of this, the use of unlicensed software is not only a legal issue but also an information security risk. In which, many cyber attacks start from vulnerabilities originating from software of unknown origin.
According to Mr. Thomas Evans - a cybersecurity expert at security software company Cyware (USA), about 60% of cracked software circulating on forums, torrents or blogs contains spyware or backdoor trojans, which can silently control user devices without being detected.
Therefore, users should use genuine software or legal free alternatives. Currently, many office applications, photo editing or video editing have free versions that meet basic needs.
Mr. Thomas Evans emphasized: "The safest solution is to use copyrighted software. For those who want to save costs, look for open source software or legal free versions instead of sacrificing safety just to use advanced features.
Users also need to avoid downloading software from websites of unknown origin, do not turn off security software when installing applications and regularly update the operating system to patch security vulnerabilities.
In the context of increasingly sophisticated forms of cyberattacks, the habit of using crack software for savings may make users pay the price with personal data, bank accounts or even work systems.
