Are keygen programs really viruses or malware? No. So why are theyflagged as such?

[RayLopez99]

Many 'aggressive' AV suites like Norton seem to flag keygen programs
such as found on cracked software as a virus or malware. And
sometimes removing such programs will render your pirate copy of a
program unusable (if you need the keygen later, as is sometimes the
cases).

Don't you agree that the antivirus companies need to define malware
more carefully to not include such programs? Or at least explain to
the user what they are so the user can have the option of deleting
them?

I think the AV companies are in cahoots with the big software vendors
to do this.

RL

 

[Whoever]

Many 'aggressive' AV suites like Norton seem to flag keygen programs
such as found on cracked software as a virus or malware. And
[snip]

I think the AV companies are in cahoots with the big software vendors
to do this.

Maybe they just don't like thieves... <<shrug>>

 

[Dustin]

Many 'aggressive' AV suites like Norton seem to flag keygen programs
such as found on cracked software as a virus or malware. And
sometimes removing such programs will render your pirate copy of a
program unusable (if you need the keygen later, as is sometimes the
cases).

Don't you agree that the antivirus companies need to define malware
more carefully to not include such programs? Or at least explain to
the user what they are so the user can have the option of deleting
them?

I think the AV companies are in cahoots with the big software vendors
to do this.

RL

I've heard of many odd complaints about such and such being detected, but
not quite like this ray. At what point do you feel any company should
turn a blind eye to piracy?

 

[Dave U. Random]

Many 'aggressive' AV suites like Norton seem to flag keygen programs
such as found on cracked software as a virus or malware. And
[snip]

I think the AV companies are in cahoots with the big software vendors
to do this.

Maybe they just don't like thieves... <<shrug>>

I go to to http://www.virustotal.com/ and check the file out against
what the top AVs say about it. They don't all label every keygen as
malware.

It is a pain as far as how many AVs do that, though.

 

[Man-wai Chang]

Don't you agree that the antivirus companies need to define malware
more carefully to not include such programs? Or at least explain to
the user what they are so the user can have the option of deleting
them?

I suggest you use VirtualBox to run those keygens in a jail. That's a
lot safer than relying on virus scanners.

 

[sh@dow]

Many 'aggressive' AV suites like Norton seem to flag keygen programs
such as found on cracked software as a virus or malware. And sometimes
removing such programs will render your pirate copy of a program
unusable (if you need the keygen later, as is sometimes the cases).

Don't you agree that the antivirus companies need to define malware more
carefully to not include such programs? Or at least explain to the user
what they are so the user can have the option of deleting them?

I think the AV companies are in cahoots with the big software vendors to
do this.

RL

They even recognize the programs I wrote years ago as keygens,
even though 10% of them are NOT. Just because of the packers I used.
Annoying. I'd sue them if I could reveal my ID.
[]'s

 

[FromTheRafters]

I like to think that antivirus and antispyware programs are for protecting
my computer from malicious activity. Most key generators just generate
keys. I have a program called "Revelation.exe" which reveals passwords. It
has come in very handy for me over the years when I have been reinstalling
Outlook Express or other programs for people who don't have a clue what
their own passwords are. I keep a copy of it on a CD and on a write-
protected floppy because almost any antivirus app will wipe it off my USB
stick without even asking. Plus there's virus removal tools I keep on my
memory stick that some antivirus apps detect as viruses themselves.

If I need moral judgement, I'll go to church for it.

Or get it here...

I can see them being Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) and many
antiwhatever programs can be configured to ignore PUPs. If you have a
problem with some overzealous antiwhatever program, why not encrypt or
zip w/password what you don't want detected, and defeat the scanner when
you want to use said program?

Being as they are so popular, there are often trojanized versions about
too, so vet them first.

 

[RayLopez99]

I suggest you use VirtualBox to run those keygens in a jail. That's a
lot safer than relying on virus scanners.

I have a 32 bit Windows 7 OS on a new quad core chip. What
virtualization program do you like? I am thinking of getting VMware
Player since I can support hardware virtualization.

RL

 

[Shadow]

They even recognize the programs I wrote years ago as keygens,
even though 12% of them are NOT. Just because of the packers I used.
Annoying. I'd sue them if I could reveal my ID.
[]'s

I use a program called Angry IP Scanner, a legit program that gets
flagged as a trojan and the exe file gets deleted on a HD scan..

Try http://www.softperfect.com/products/networkscanner/
Has set off no AVs so far, and it's portable, small, and a
little more complete than Angry.
But the Angry IP Scanner programmer could make a case against
the antivirus vendors, if he had stated his program was a false
positive and they took no notice.
A dll in the Brazilian government's income-tax program was
deleted by a lot of AVs, just because it phoned home. I notified them,
and have had no more trouble. FWIW.
[]'s

 

[Man-wai Chang]

I have a 32 bit Windows 7 OS on a new quad core chip. What
virtualization program do you like? I am thinking of getting VMware
Player since I can support hardware virtualization.

Win 7 has WinXP mode, which is actually Micro$oft Virtual PC.
Sun Oracle Virtualbox is freeware.

 

[gufus]

Hello, Man-wai!

Win 7 has WinXP mode, which is actually Micro$oft Virtual PC.
Sun Oracle Virtualbox is freeware.

I didn't know that.

-
With best regards, gufus. E-mail: (e-mail address removed)

Message-ID: [email protected] Sent at: 17:48

 

[Dustin]

Win 7 has WinXP mode, which is actually Micro$oft Virtual PC.

I was not aware of that. Do you have any references to it actually being
virtual PC under the hood?

Sun Oracle Virtualbox is freeware.

Works well in many cases... Atleast for me.

 

[Man-wai Chang]

Win 7 has WinXP mode, which is actually Micro$oft Virtual PC.

I was not aware of that. Do you have any references to it actually being
virtual PC under the hood?

The title of the following link said it all:

Download Windows XP Mode with Virtual PC
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

And here is the FAQ for WinXP mode:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/support/faq.aspx

 

[Dustin]

The title of the following link said it all:

Download Windows XP Mode with Virtual PC
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

And here is the FAQ for WinXP mode:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/support/faq.aspx

Okay, thanks. Obviously MS has changed what virtual PC means. It existed
well before windows 7, I still have virtualpc2007sp1... But according to
those urls, I have something which doesn't exist. <G>

This sounds like a halfassed way to support XP and prior software tho,
imo.

 

[Man-wai Chang]

Looking to get off Windows XP? Use this handy gadget to count down the
number of days until Windows XP End of Support (EOS) in 2014.

System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems:Windows 7;Windows Vista

 

[Dustin]

Why would I want to leave Windows XP? I have a real VLK edition that
doesn't moan if I changeout the main hard drive. All of my
software works; all of my hardware works. My wireless networking...
works! (Google local access only wireless windows vista)

No thank you. 2014 is still a ways off, and by then this hardware won't
be useful to me anymore.