Problem of cracking
The Internet has revolutionized the way data is accessed through different platforms, and the software is no exception. Many of today’s software heavily rely on the internet for their full functionality. The dominance of internet has also affected the way cybersecurity affects the overall functionality of any computer device. Cracking has become a major issue for many cell phone and computer applications. Even though the cyber laws of many countries prohibit the use of pirated software, it is still a major issue for many software developers. Over the past few years’ software developing companies have taken some significant strides to prevent crackers from the distribution of app without authorization. The year 2018 saw some major downfall for the software companies and their hope for the prevention of cracking.
Steps taken to prevent cracking
Cracking is cybercrime, and it violates many ownership rights of software. Cracking removes specific functionalities of software that prevent the distribution of app without proper authorization. Cracking software does reduce the online functionality of an application, but all the essential functions are still accessible. Game developers have gone to great strides to prevent the cracking of games. The most recent development in the prevention of such crime was the development of advanced DRM systems such as Denuvo. The DRM system changed everything, and for the time being, games seemed uncrackable, but the crackers soon catch up to the new DRM technology. The uncrackable software became crackable again as is proven by some of the most recent games such as Metro Exodus. The new titles protected by this new DRM in the year 2019 were cracked a couple of days after their release.
Year 2019 and cracking
The year 2018 and 2019 has proven that the DRM technology currently in use cannot meet the requirement necessary for the proper protection of any software. During the initial days of Deneuve and other DRM protection, they were thought to be unbreakable. The creator of Deneuve said that their goal was not the full prevention of cracking software because it is impossible. The goal was to delay the cracking of games because most of the games are sold in the initial days of their release. The strategy seemed to be failing one. Software, however, has a different case because they need to be continuously updated to keep with the rising challenges of its functionalities.
Solution
Cracked software cannot be updated so for every new update a new crack is produced. PlayStation has also adopted the same strategy by continually updating the firmware of their console which makes it impossible for the console to connect with the internet. Even that hasn’t stopped hackers from jailbreaking it. The year 2019 has proven that it is not the protection that keeps the software safe from piracy but instead their pricing and strategy of release are the main factors. No matter how much security is placed on software, it will ultimately be exploited. The only thing that can prevent the exploitation of software are the customers. The policies and pricing of software and games need to be set in a way that taps into the consciousness of users. The software needs to be customers oriented.