But even with older games, piracy isn't safe. Setting ethical considerations aside, there are simply too many risks to playing pirated games. We examine some of those risks here. 1. Pirated Games Could Infect Your PC With Malware. It's no secret that pirating any kind of software is dangerous. See moreIt's no secret that pirating any kind of software is dangerous. When you download from a reputable source, you can reasonably trust that the file you're downloading is what the distributor claims it is. Legitimate game … See moreParticularly on consoles, playing pirated games is an offense that could result in a ban from Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. In 2009, as CNETreported, Microsoft famously banned nearly a million Xbox Live players for … See moreJust like illegally downloading music and movies, stealing video games via piracy is a federal crime in the United States. Punishment can … See moreMany game developers don't wait for the government to stop pirates---they take action themselves. Some use digital rights management (DRM) systems that prevent illegal copies from … See more

August 23, 2021. So long as gamers seek out free apps in the form of unlicensed copies, cracks, and other goodies, cybercriminals will continue to prey on them, and we will …

There is a huge amount of pirated software that contains Malicious code. I’m not saying it all is, but there is a large amount. I have spent 8 years reversing and detecting malware, …

(Image credit: Shift Drive/Shutterstock) If you download and install pirated PC games, your antivirus software could be turned off, Windows security updates could cease and your beloved GPU...

Torrenting is often associated with piracy because it’s frequently used to share files that are protected by copyright, including movies, games, music, and software. However, torrenting also has …

1. It’s illegal. The biggest thing to keep in mind before you consider downloading pirated or cracked software is that it’s illegal. The last thing you want is to …

Game-cracking hackers need to eat too, so they make a little extra by turning users’ computers into bots or homes for banking Trojans. The chances of downloading a free game without a virus have always …