Nulled WordPress: Risks, Security & Safe Alternatives

Section 1: Deconstructing the Myth of the “Trusted” Nulled Repository

The search for “trusted” repositories of “nulled” WordPress themes and plugins is founded on a critical misunderstanding of the digital supply chain. The query itself contains a paradox: the act of nulling, by its very nature, obliterates the chain of trust that underpins software security. This analysis will not provide a list of such repositories, as doing so would be professionally irresponsible and would endorse a practice that exposes website owners to catastrophic risk. Instead, this report will deconstruct the flawed premise of the query by providing a comprehensive security brief on the technical, functional, and legal realities of nulled software. It will then present a strategic guide to secure, legitimate, and cost-effective alternatives that achieve the user’s underlying goal—accessing high-quality WordPress functionality—without compromising the integrity and security of their digital assets.

1.1 Defining “Nulled” Software: More Than Just “Free”

In the WordPress ecosystem, “nulled” software refers to premium themes or plugins that have been pirated and subsequently modified. The primary purpose of this modification is to bypass the licensing and payment verification systems implemented by the original developer, allowing the software to be used without a valid, purchased license key. These unauthorized versions are then distributed unethically through a network of third-party websites, online forums, and underground “GPL marketplaces,” often for free or at a significant discount compared to the official price.

This practice is analogous to using “cracked” software in other digital domains. The core issue is that the original, verified source code has been deliberately altered by an unknown and unaccountable third party. This act of modification immediately and irrevocably breaks the chain of trust between the end-user and the legitimate software developer. From a security standpoint, it is far safer to operate under the assumption that any software not obtained directly from the original author or a reputable, official repository has been tampered with and may contain malicious or unsafe code. The term “nulled” is not merely a synonym for “free”; it is a declaration that the software’s integrity has been compromised.

1.2 The GPL and the “Legal” Gray Area: A Common Misconception

Distributors of nulled software frequently attempt to legitimize their activities by citing the GNU General Public License (GPL), under which WordPress and its derivative works are licensed. They argue that the GPL grants anyone the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software, making their redistribution of premium plugins and themes legally permissible.

This argument, however, is a dangerous oversimplification that deliberately ignores the complexities of commercial software licensing in the WordPress space. While the core PHP code of a plugin is typically covered by the GPL, many premium products are sold under a “mixed license” model. This means that significant components of the product—such as proprietary JavaScript libraries, CSS stylesheets, images, logos, and brand names—are not GPL-licensed and are protected by conventional copyright law. The unauthorized use and distribution of these copyrighted assets constitute copyright infringement, regardless of the GPL status of the underlying PHP.

Furthermore, the functionality of many modern premium plugins extends beyond the code installed on the user’s website. They operate on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) hybrid model, where the local plugin must communicate with the developer’s proprietary servers to access key features. For example, a premium security plugin might rely on a real-time IP blocklist or malware signature database hosted on the developer’s servers. A nulled version of such a plugin, lacking a valid license key for authentication, cannot access these critical server-side resources. It may appear to be fully functional in the WordPress dashboard, but it fails to provide the core protection it promises, creating a false and dangerous sense of security. The GPL argument is thus a red herring, a deceptive marketing tactic used to distract users from the fundamental issues of code integrity and copyright violation.

1.3 The Motivations of Nulled Software Distributors

It is imperative to understand that nulled software is not distributed out of altruism or a commitment to open-source ideals. The operators of these distribution networks are driven by commercial and, frequently, malicious incentives. Their business models are predicated on exploiting the software and the users who download it.

Common motivations include:

• Monetization through Malicious Code: The most sinister motivation is to use nulled software as bait. Distributors inject their own code to serve advertisements, hijack website traffic for black hat SEO schemes, or add hidden backlinks to manipulate search engine rankings.
• Direct Revenue: Many nulled repositories operate as “GPL clubs” or marketplaces, charging a membership or subscription fee for access to their library of pirated software.
• Building Botnets: Attackers use nulled plugins to create a vast, distributed network of compromised websites. This botnet can then be leveraged for large-scale malicious activities, such as launching Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, distributing spam, or conducting widespread phishing campaigns.

The user’s search for a “trusted” nulled repository is therefore an exercise in futility. The very mechanism that makes a plugin “nulled”—the modification of its source code by an untrusted third party—is the same mechanism that makes it a perfect delivery vehicle for malware. The business model of these distributors is often directly at odds with the user’s desire for safety, making the concepts of “trusted” and “nulled” mutually exclusive.

Section 2: The Anatomy of a Compromise: Malware, Backdoors, and Espionage

The installation of a nulled WordPress theme or plugin is not a calculated risk; it is an open invitation for a security breach. The altered code provides a perfect Trojan horse for attackers to deploy a wide range of malicious payloads. This section provides a detailed analysis of the common types of malware embedded within nulled software, moving from the methods of concealment to the specific functions of backdoors, spyware, and other advanced threats.

2.1 The Primary Threat Vector: Injected Malicious Code

The single most significant and probable threat from using nulled software is the presence of injected malicious code. This code is not an accidental byproduct of the nulling process; it is intentionally added by the distributor to exploit the end-user’s website.

A common tactic is to design the malware to remain dormant for an extended period—weeks or even months—after installation. This delayed activation is a deliberate strategy to evade initial detection. The website owner, seeing no immediate negative effects, is lulled into a false sense of security, making it much harder to trace the source of the infection when the payload eventually activates.

To further complicate detection, these malicious scripts are almost always obfuscated. Attackers use encoding techniques like base64 or gzip to transform the human-readable code into a seemingly random string of characters. This serves two purposes: it prevents the website owner, even one with some technical knowledge, from easily identifying the malicious code by inspecting the files, and it is designed to bypass basic signature-based malware scanners that are looking for known malicious code patterns.

2.2 Backdoors and Webshells: The Keys to Your Kingdom

The primary objective for many attackers is not a one-time exploit but the establishment of persistent, long-term access to a compromised website. The most effective tool for this is a backdoor, a hidden method of bypassing normal authentication procedures to gain unauthorized administrative access. Nulled themes and plugins are one of the most common vectors for installing backdoors.

A backdoor is particularly insidious because it provides the attacker with a durable foothold in the system. It allows them to regain access at any time, even if the website owner subsequently changes all user passwords, removes the initial nulled plugin, or cleans up other visible signs of a hack. It functions as a silent, persistent gateway for repeated exploitation.

Once a backdoor is in place, an attacker can perform a range of devastating actions:

• Privilege Escalation: They can create new, hidden administrator accounts or elevate the privileges of existing low-level accounts, giving themselves full control over the WordPress dashboard.
• Remote Code Execution: The backdoor can allow the attacker to execute arbitrary PHP code on the server, effectively giving them control equivalent to the web server user itself.
• Credential Theft: Sophisticated backdoors are designed to read the wp-config.php file and exfiltrate the database credentials, sending them to a remote server controlled by the attacker.
• Defense Evasion: One of the most advanced backdoor functions involves actively disabling security plugins installed on the site. The malware can detect the presence of popular security tools and deactivate them, blinding the site owner to the ongoing intrusion.

A stark real-world example of this threat was the AccessPress Themes breach.

In this incident, an external attacker compromised the official website of a legitimate theme developer and injected a backdoor into dozens of their themes and plugins. This backdoor, when activated, installed a sophisticated webshell that granted the attackers full remote control over any website using the compromised software. The webshell was cleverly designed to evade detection by only activating when it received specific cookies and user-agent strings in an HTTP request, remaining invisible to normal traffic and basic scans. This case highlights the professional-grade nature of the threats delivered via compromised software.

2.3 Spyware and Data Theft: Monetizing Your Information

Beyond simple website control, nulled software is a primary vehicle for digital espionage. Malicious scripts are specifically designed to locate, collect, and exfiltrate sensitive data from the compromised website and its database.

The types of data targeted include:

• Site Administrator and User Data: The malware actively seeks out WordPress user credentials, including usernames, email addresses, and password hashes.
• Customer and Client Data: For e-commerce or membership websites, the stakes are significantly higher. The spyware is programmed to steal the personally identifiable information (PII) and financial data of customers. This includes names, physical addresses, phone numbers, and, in the most severe cases, credit card details.

This stolen information is a valuable commodity. It is typically bundled and sold on dark web marketplaces to other criminals who use it for identity theft, financial fraud, and targeted phishing campaigns. The breach can be extremely difficult for the site owner to detect, as the data exfiltration often happens silently in the background without disrupting the website’s normal functionality. Frequently, the first indication of a problem is when angry customers begin to report fraudulent activity, by which point the reputational damage is already severe.

2.4 Advanced Payloads: From CryptoMiners to Ransomware

The threat landscape is constantly evolving, and the payloads delivered by nulled plugins have grown in sophistication, reflecting the broader trends in cybercrime. Modern nulled software may contain a variety of advanced threats:

• Cryptojacking Scripts: This malware uses the processing power (CPU) of the website’s server to mine cryptocurrencies for the attacker. This can lead to extreme performance degradation, causing the website to slow to a crawl or become completely unresponsive, and can result in the hosting provider suspending the account for excessive resource usage.
• Remote Access Trojans (RATs): A RAT provides the attacker with direct, real-time command-and-control capabilities over the compromised server, going far beyond a simple webshell.
• Ransomware: Some nulled plugins contain droppers for ransomware, which can encrypt the website’s files and database, rendering it completely inaccessible. The attacker then demands a ransom payment, typically in cryptocurrency, in exchange for the decryption key.
• Evasive and Self-Modifying Malware: Analysis of malware from distribution sites like wpnull24.com has revealed highly advanced threats. This malware can upgrade itself after installation to a newer, more potent version. It is also capable of modifying the configuration files of security plugins like Wordfence to add itself to an “allow list,” effectively tricking the security tool into ignoring its presence.

The evolution of these payloads demonstrates a clear trajectory from opportunistic, low-level exploits like SEO spam to persistent, sophisticated, and actively hostile intrusions. The decision to install a nulled plugin to save a nominal license fee directly exposes a website to the tools and tactics of organized cybercriminal enterprises.

Section 3: The Hidden Costs: Performance, Functionality, and SEO Collapse

Beyond the immediate and severe security threats posed by malware, using nulled WordPress software introduces a host of functional and performance-related problems. These issues are not a potential risk but a guaranteed consequence of running unauthorized, unsupported, and outdated code. The initial perceived cost saving is an illusion, paid for many times over in lost time, degraded performance, broken functionality, and ultimately, the collapse of the website’s visibility and value.

3.1 The Update Dead-End: A Ticking Time Bomb

Legitimate premium WordPress software requires a valid license key to authenticate with the developer’s servers and receive automatic updates through the WordPress dashboard. Because nulled software has had this licensing mechanism removed, it exists in a state of terminal stasis: it can never be updated. This creates a compounding set of critical problems.

First, the website receives no security patches. Software developers regularly release updates to patch security vulnerabilities that are discovered in their code. Without the ability to apply these updates, a nulled plugin or theme becomes an increasingly fragile and insecure component of the website. As time passes, more vulnerabilities are discovered and publicly disclosed, turning the outdated nulled software into a well-documented and easily exploitable entry point for hackers.

Second, the user receives no new features. A significant part of the value of a premium license is access to ongoing development, including performance improvements, enhancements to existing features, and the addition of entirely new functionalities. Users of nulled software are permanently locked into the feature set that existed at the moment the software was pirated, missing out on all subsequent innovation.

Third, incompatibility is inevitable. The WordPress core software is constantly evolving, with major updates released several times a year. Legitimate themes and plugins must be updated to remain compatible with these changes, as well as with updates to PHP and other plugins. An outdated nulled plugin will eventually conflict with the updated core or other components on the site. These conflicts can manifest as broken features, layout issues, or catastrophic fatal errors that bring the entire website down, often referred to as the “white screen of death“.

3.2 The Support Void: You Are on Your Own

A substantial portion of the cost of a premium software license is allocated to providing professional customer support from the developers who built the product. This support is an invaluable resource for troubleshooting complex configuration issues, resolving conflicts, or understanding advanced features.

With nulled software, the user receives zero support. When a problem inevitably arises—whether it’s a bug, a conflict, or a security issue—the website owner is left entirely to their own devices. Their only recourse is to spend countless hours searching Google and forums, attempting to diagnose and fix complex code-level problems without any expert guidance. For a non-developer, resolving such issues is often impossible, leading to extended downtime and immense frustration.

3.3 Performance Degradation and Bloated Code

The process of nulling software is often a crude hack, not an elegant piece of reverse engineering. The modifications made to remove licensing checks can destabilize the original code, introducing bugs and performance issues.

Furthermore, distributors of nulled products often bundle them with additional, unwanted software or inject their own scripts that have nothing to do with the plugin’s original function. This results in bloated code that increases the website’s page size and the number of requests sent to the server. The direct consequence is slower page loading times, which creates a poor user experience, increases visitor bounce rates, and can even lead to higher bandwidth costs from the hosting provider.

3.4 The SEO Death Spiral: Erased from the Internet

One of the most devastating and difficult-to-recover-from consequences of using nulled software is the catastrophic impact on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Nulled themes and plugins are frequently used as a delivery mechanism for black hat SEO attacks.

The malware embedded in the software will silently inject hidden spam links into the website’s content or create malicious redirects that send a portion of the site’s visitors to scam or spam websites. Attackers often use “cloaking” techniques, where the malicious links or redirects are only served to search engine crawlers (like Googlebot) and are hidden from human visitors or logged-in administrators. This makes the hack extremely difficult to detect through manual inspection of the site.

However, search engines like Google have highly sophisticated algorithms designed specifically to detect this type of manipulative behavior. Once the spam is detected, the website will be severely penalized. This can result in a dramatic drop in search engine rankings or, in the most severe cases, the complete de-indexing of the website from search results and its addition to a public blacklist of malicious sites.

The process of recovering a website’s SEO reputation after such a penalty is long, arduous, and expensive. It requires a complete forensic cleanup of the site, submission of a reconsideration request to the search engine, and months or even years of work to rebuild lost authority and trust.

In many cases, the damage is so severe that the most cost-effective solution is to abandon the domain entirely and start over from scratch. The functional decay of a site using nulled software is not a single event but a form of compounding technical debt, where the initial “saving” is repaid through a chain reaction of escalating failures that guarantees the website’s eventual demise.

Section 4: Legal Exposure and Ethical Considerations

The consequences of using nulled WordPress software extend far beyond the technical realm of malware and performance issues. They venture into the legal world of copyright law, data breach liability, and professional negligence. The risks are not confined to the website itself but can result in significant financial penalties, legal action, and irreparable damage to an individual’s or a business’s reputation.

4.1 Navigating Copyright Law and Licensing Violations

As established previously, the claim that nulled software is “legal” under the GPL is misleading. The mixed-license model used by many premium developers means that while the PHP code may be open source, other critical assets like JavaScript files, CSS stylesheets, images, and logos are protected by copyright. Using a nulled theme or plugin that includes these assets without a valid license is an act of copyright infringement.

While it may seem unlikely that a developer would pursue legal action against a small website, it is not unheard of. Developers can and do issue formal cease-and-desist notices or file lawsuits against entities found to be using pirated versions of their software. The potential legal consequences can include court-ordered injunctions to stop using the software, statutory damages, and the requirement to pay the developer’s legal fees, which can quickly amount to a sum far greater than the cost of a legitimate license.

4.2 Liability for Data Breaches: A Legal Minefield

A far more severe and probable legal threat stems from data breach liability. In the modern regulatory environment, with stringent data protection laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and similar legislation elsewhere, the responsibility for protecting user data falls squarely on the website owner.

If a nulled plugin or theme containing a backdoor or spyware is the vector for a data breach in which customer information is stolen, the website owner—not the anonymous distributor of the nulled software—is legally liable for the incident. The legal calculus has shifted dramatically. The primary threat is no longer a copyright claim from a developer, but a lawsuit from affected customers or a massive fine from a data protection authority.

Knowingly installing an unauthorized, modified, and inherently insecure piece of software on a website that processes any form of personal data (even a simple contact form) can be viewed as an act of gross negligence. In the event of a breach, the site owner would have little defense, as they willingly introduced the vulnerability that led to the compromise. The resulting fines and legal settlements could be financially ruinous for a small business or individual.

4.3 Reputational Damage and Loss of Trust

For any business, agency, or professional, reputation is a critical asset. The use of pirated software is fundamentally unprofessional and can cause severe damage to this reputation if discovered.

The consequences are even more dire if the use of a nulled product leads to a visible security incident, such as the website being defaced, redirecting to spam sites, or a public data breach. The loss of trust from customers, clients, and partners can be immediate and permanent. Rebuilding a reputation after such an event is an incredibly difficult and expensive undertaking, and in many cases, the damage is irreversible.

4.4 The Ethical Cost: Stifling Innovation in the WordPress Ecosystem

Beyond the direct risks to the user, the practice of using nulled software has a corrosive effect on the entire WordPress community. The development of high-quality, reliable, and secure themes and plugins is a professional endeavor that requires a significant investment of time, expertise, and financial resources. Developers must fund not only the coding but also ongoing maintenance, customer support, documentation, and marketing.

When users opt for nulled versions, they deprive these developers of the revenue necessary to sustain their operations. This directly harms the creators and stifles innovation within the ecosystem. If a product becomes financially unviable due to piracy, the developer may be forced to abandon it, leaving all users—including paying customers—without future updates or support. In the long run, widespread piracy discourages talented developers from investing in the WordPress platform, leading to a decline in the quality and variety of tools available to everyone.

Section 5: A Strategic Guide to Legitimate and Cost-Effective WordPress Enhancement

The preceding sections have established that nulled software represents an unacceptable level of risk. The solution is not to find a “safer” source of pirated software, but to embrace the secure, robust, and cost-effective legitimate alternatives that are readily available within the WordPress ecosystem. This section provides an actionable guide for users to achieve their website goals without resorting to dangerous and unethical shortcuts. The WordPress community is deliberately structured to provide a scalable path for users at every budget level, making nulled software entirely unnecessary.

5.1 The Foundation: The Official WordPress.org Repository

The single most important resource for any WordPress user is the official repository at WordPress.org.

• Security Vetting: Every theme and plugin submitted to the repository must pass a formal review process conducted by a volunteer team. While not infallible, this review checks for common security vulnerabilities, adherence to coding standards, and malicious code, making software from this source significantly safer than from any other.
• Quality and Functionality: The repository hosts thousands of high-quality, feature-rich products. Many of these free tools are developed and maintained by professional teams and offer functionality that rivals or even surpasses that of some premium products. For a vast number of use cases, a free solution from the official repository is more than sufficient.

5.2 The Power of “Freemium”: Accessing Premium Features for Free

The “freemium” model is a cornerstone of the modern WordPress economy. Many of the world’s most successful premium plugin developers offer a highly functional, free version of their software on the WordPress.org repository, with an option to upgrade to a paid version for more advanced features.

This model provides immense value to users. It allows them to access the core functionality of a professionally developed and supported plugin at no cost. It also establishes a safe and legitimate upgrade path. Users can start with the free version and, as their website grows and their needs become more complex, they can make an informed decision to invest in a premium license. This approach directly counters the primary motivation for using nulled software by providing powerful tools for free.

The following table outlines some of the best freemium alternatives to popular premium plugin categories.

Functionality Needed	Recommended Freemium Alternative	Key Features of Free Version	Link to WordPress.org
Contact Forms	WPForms Lite	Drag-and-drop form builder, basic form fields, spam protection, email notifications.	wordpress.org/plugins/wpforms-lite/
SEO	All in One SEO (Free)	On-page analysis, XML sitemaps, schema markup for rich snippets, social media integration.	wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/
Website Analytics	MonsterInsights (Free)	Google Analytics integration, audience and behavior reports in the dashboard, real-time stats.	wordpress.org/plugins/google-analytics-for-wordpress/
Page Builder	SeedProd (Free)	Drag-and-drop visual builder, pre-built templates, responsive editing, subscriber management.	wordpress.org/plugins/coming-soon/
Website Backups	Duplicator	Full site migration and cloning, backup of files and database into a single package.	wordpress.org/plugins/duplicator/
E-commerce	WooCommerce	The core plugin provides a complete e-commerce platform for selling physical and digital goods.	wordpress.org/plugins/woocommerce/

5.3 Navigating Reputable Commercial Marketplaces

For users who require the advanced features, dedicated support, or unique designs offered by premium software, purchasing a legitimate license is the only secure and sensible option. A number of reputable marketplaces and direct-to-consumer developers serve the WordPress community.

Understanding their different models can help users make an informed choice.

The table below compares several of the most prominent commercial marketplaces.

Marketplace	Primary Focus	Curation/Vetting Process	Typical Price Model	Developer Support Standard	Key Differentiator
ThemeForest	Themes	All items are reviewed for quality and security, but quality can be variable across thousands of authors.	One-time purchase per site license.	Support is provided by the individual theme author for a limited period (e.g., 6 months), with options to extend.	The largest and most diverse selection of themes for virtually any niche.
CodeCanyon	Plugins	Similar review process to ThemeForest.	One-time purchase per site license.	Support is provided by the individual plugin author for a limited period.	A massive repository of plugins for a wide array of specific functionalities.
Elegant Themes	Themes & Plugins	Tightly controlled, in-house development of all products.	Annual or lifetime subscription for access to all products for unlimited sites.	Centralized, professional support team for all products.	All-in-one ecosystem centered around the Divi theme and page builder.
WooCommerce.com	E-commerce Plugins	Strict vetting process for all extensions sold in the official marketplace.	Annual subscription per extension.	Support is provided by the extension developer and backed by WooCommerce.	The official, most trusted source for extensions guaranteed to be compatible with WooCommerce.
TemplateMonster	Themes & Templates	Quality review process for all submitted products.	One-time purchase or a subscription service (MonsterONE) for access to many products.	Support provided by the product author.	Large selection with a focus on business and e-commerce templates; strong option for new developers.
StudioPress	Themes	High-quality, in-house themes built on the robust Genesis Framework.	Included with a WP Engine hosting plan or as a one-time purchase.	Centralized, professional support.	Focus on performance, security, and clean code with the highly respected Genesis Framework.

How to Identify and Vet Legitimate Software

When venturing outside the official WordPress.org repository, it is crucial to be able to distinguish legitimate software from pirated versions. The following checklist can help users verify the authenticity of a theme or plugin:

1. Verify the Source: Always download software directly from the original developer’s website or from one of the reputable marketplaces listed above. Never download from a third-party “GPL club,” forum, or download site.
2. Scrutinize the Price: If a premium product is offered for free or at a price that is drastically lower than its official price, it is almost certainly a nulled version. If a deal seems too good to be true, it is.
3. Confirm the License Key: A legitimate purchase will always include a unique license key. This key is required to activate the product, receive automatic updates, and access customer support. Nulled software will never come with a valid license key.
4. Beware of Bulk Bundles: Be extremely cautious of packages that offer dozens of unrelated premium plugins and themes from different developers for a single, low price. These are almost always collections of nulled software.
5. Check for Updates and Support: Before purchasing, review the developer’s website. A reputable developer will have a clear changelog showing a history of recent updates and a well-defined policy for providing customer support. A lack of recent activity or clear support channels is a major red flag.

Conclusion

The request for a list of “trusted” nulled software repositories is based on a dangerous misconception. The analysis presented in this report demonstrates conclusively that the act of nulling software fundamentally destroys its integrity and introduces an unacceptable spectrum of risks. These risks are not theoretical but are documented, widespread, and severe, ranging from malware injection and data theft to catastrophic SEO penalties and legal liability.

The evidence shows that nulled software is a primary vector for sophisticated cyberattacks that can lead to the complete compromise of a website, the theft of sensitive customer data, and significant financial and reputational damage. The functional downsides, including the lack of updates and support, guarantee that any website using these products will eventually suffer from security vulnerabilities, performance degradation, and critical compatibility failures.

Therefore, the only responsible recommendation is to avoid all sources of nulled WordPress themes and plugins without exception.

The WordPress ecosystem provides a wealth of secure, legal, and effective alternatives. Website owners are strongly advised to adhere to the following best practices:

1. Prioritize the Official WordPress.org Repository: For all foundational needs, begin with the vast selection of vetted, free themes and plugins available on WordPress.org.
2. Leverage the Freemium Model: Utilize the powerful free versions of premium plugins offered by reputable developers. This provides access to professional-grade tools at no cost and offers a safe upgrade path.
3. Invest in Legitimate Licenses: When advanced functionality is required, purchase a legitimate license from the original developer or a reputable commercial marketplace. The cost of a license is a minor and necessary investment in the security, functionality, and long-term viability of a digital asset.

By following this strategic approach, WordPress users can build powerful, professional, and secure websites, fostering a healthy and innovative ecosystem while protecting themselves, their businesses, and their users from the severe dangers of pirated software.