First off, this tip is not supporting the use pirated software, but at the same time, I’m not naive to the fact that a lot of people do it. This is intended for those who do choose to use pirated software.

If you use pirated software, be careful of what you are getting. Since the software is not legit, nothing is preventing the people who “hacked” the software from embedding malicious software into it. Regardless of what you install, but especially if you are using a “cracked” operating system, you are taking a big risk that keyloggers or spyware of some sort is installed an running with the OS. This practice is a very real threat.

Of course, the safest action is to use legit software to begin with, but if you do not, make sure you understand the risks.