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Press release

Play Safe: 5 Reasons Not to Download Pirated Games

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The demand for cracked game titles that anyone can use for free is high, but the risks of such activity are even greater


Τa revenue of the global video game market are expected to increase this year by almost 11% and reach almosta 209 billion dollars! "When there's a domain that's showing that much growth, that much revenue and that many users concentrated in one place, there's usually people who want to take advantage of it." say the experts of the global digital security company ESET.

And this is where the… piracy comes in.

Just like with movies, TV series, music and any digital content, the demand for cracked game titles that anyone can use for free is high. Piracy is rampant across all platforms: from games based on PC and mobile devices, to console games.

It is difficult to say whether piracy is really affecting the international market for legal game software. However, what is clear is that downloading and running a pirated copy can expose you to multiple risks – from fines to dangerous malware. And these are just some of them threats faced by players.

What are pirated games?

Piracy and gray markets always seem to be one step ahead of legitimate digital distribution channels. Look at his success Napster, years before its appearance iTunes and Spotify. Or the Megaupload, one of the biggest sources of digital piracy when it launched in 2005, two years before the Netflix.

In their simplest form, pirated games are those that have been "cracked", bypassing digital rights management (DRM), a technology designed to protect copyrighted content. In this way, users get free access to these games without paying their developers or distributors.

Often, titles with high demand are selected for this process as soon as they become available for purchase, although there are even examples of pirates obtaining and distributing free copies even before from the official release dates.

There is little data on the size of the pirated games market. But we know how big the legal market is. Mobile telephony expected to dominate in the coming years. It is estimated to generate $2021 billion in 180, over half (52%) of the global total, so it would be safe to assume that piracy rates are relatively high here.

5 reasons to stay away from pirated games

Regardless of him way the games will eventually "break"., The impact they could be terrible for users, its experts say ESET and list the 5 most important.

1. Malware

To encourage users to download malware, threat actors will use a popular game and the lure of free content. They can do this by sharing messages on social media, with phishing emails or even through search engines or websites torrent sites.

This risk is real. In June 2021, was revealed that millions of computers were exposed to malware Trojan over a period of two years. Malware that spread mainly through pirated games, stole over one million unique email addresses and 26 million login credentials, among other things.

Often, the malware is designed to bypass traditional security filters or may require the user to completely disable anti-malware software. It also usually requests too many permissions to run. The malware may also be hidden in mods – i.e. in additional files required to continue the game.

Others ordinary guys malware spread by "cracked" games include:

ü malware cryptomining, which could strain the victim's device and create large power bills in the process.

  • Banking Trojans designed to steal financial and personal information
  • Keyloggers and info-stealers which are designed to remove all kinds of personal information from machines/devices
  • Ransomware, which will lock you out of your machine and demand a fee
  • Malware botnet, which turns your machine/device into a zombie computer for use in other attacks.

2. Adware – adware malware

Although not as dangerous as malware, the adware it can be annoying for computer and mobile users. Constant pop-ups and new browser windows will overwhelm the victim with a torrent of videos and ads, increasingly preventing the device from functioning normally. In 2020, the shop Google Play removed 21 game apps because they contained an intervention adware.

3. The game is not working properly

Pirated games may seem like a great way to get inexpensive access to popular titles. But the reality is often quite different. The game may never work properly on your computer, console or device. There may be bugs or malfunctions that seriously reduce its performance. It can not be complete. Or the game it might just stop working after a while, if the company performs continuous software registration checks. In other cases there may be compatibility issues. For example, if users try to add pirated software to their library on Steam, that's all will be recognized as games that do not belong to Steam and they will not be able to access the full functionality of the platform.

4. Banned from gaming platforms

There is also the possibility that the legitimate creator may be able to locate the pirated software on specific devices and computers and partially or permanently blacklist the connected accounts. This is a particular risk in game consoles such as Xbox, where the providers were extremely strict in such efforts in the past.

5. You may attract the attention of the competent authorities

Finally, it is important to remember that using pirated content is illegal. Depending on where you live, you may be fined or even jailed if you are found to be using pirated software.

How to avoid mishaps

The good news is that it is not difficult to avoid most of these risks. The obvious choice is to avoid the websites torrent sites and always buy video games from official stores. This will help you mitigate the risk of malware and adware, defective software, and potential legal problems.

In closing, here are some more basic tips to help you stay safe:

  1. Always use anti-malware software from a trusted vendor on all computers and devices. Never turn it off.
  2. Double-check your security settings on gaming platforms you use, such as Steam, Twitch, and Discord.
  3. Never click on links in spam emails.
  4. Always visit the developer's official website or trusted marketplace such as the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Good game!

Press Release


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