Does KMSPico Install Malware?
KMSPico is one of the most popular tools providing users with Windows activation cracks. Needless to say, the services of this tool are illegal, and anyone distributing and using this tool is partaking in illegal activity. Unfortunately, just like everything else in the digital world, Windows and especially Windows Office tools are in high demand, and where there’s demand, there’s supply. Well, this is where things get tricky. Because there are many different sources providing KMSPico, many of them are employed to expose operating systems to unreliable third-party software. Adware and Trojans and everything in between can be spread along with the desirable cracks. On top of that, malware and potentially unwanted programs could be installed silently, which means that users might be unaware of their installation or activity at all. This is a serious security threat that simply cannot be overlooked.
One of the firsts results users face after searching KMSPico is kmspico10.com. This website provides information about the crack tool and its installation, but it does not present any legal information, and this is not surprising, considering that the tool itself is illegal. The installers that this website provides users with are sourced from sendspace.com, mediafire.com, and wetransfer.com, all of which are popular file-sharing sites. A Disclaimer on this website is broken, and users cannot read it, but it is most likely to carry the same message that we find on kmspico.org, which, of course, is another source of the crack tool. This website provides a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) statement that lifts all responsibility off the shoulders of the creator of this website (aka, the distributor of the illegal tool). Users are likely to find similar disclaimers when using free.appnee.com, kmspicoactivator.org, and all other sources providing this suspicious Windows crack tool.
Although KMSPico has been proven to provide users with fully functioning Windows cracks, and it is capable of activating Microsoft products while keeping the genuine Windows license untouched, there are some big risks to using it. When using this Key Management Service, the user is asked to disable antivirus software, which leaves their operating system an open target. If antivirus software is not disabled, KMSPico is unable to modify registry entries associated with Windows or Microsoft Office activation. Well, if the antivirus software is disabled, and the activator is bundled with third-party software, malicious infections could slither in without any warning. Although some users will not need to deal with additional software, others will find potentially unwanted programs (e.g., SearchProtect), browser hijackers (e.g., Omiga-Plus.com), or advertising-supported programs, and this is not even the worst case scenario. Recent research has revealed that malicious installers could also spread Trojans.
It was recently discovered that KMSPico – along with WinRAR, YouTube Downloader, and other popular tools – can be exploited to infiltrate Redirector.Paco, which is classified as a click-fraud botnet, and which has been reported to have invaded nearly 1 million computers worldwide. Modified installers could slip this infection in without any warning, and it makes changes in the Windows Registry to enable traffic redirecting. This infection modifies AutoConfigURL and AutoConfigProxy values to call a malicious file and redirect traffic to a different address. This way, cyber criminals exploit advertising platforms (e.g., Google’s AdSense) into generating profit for them. Furthermore, cyber criminals could expose users to modified search results, which could be used for scams and drive-by download attacks. Unfortunately, this is only one of the many dangerous threats that users could let in if they install KMSPico carelessly.
KMSPico is extremely unpredictable, and because it is illegal, users can never be sure about the installers that are introducing them to this crack tool. As it has been revealed, modified installers promoting this tool could be used to infiltrate potentially unwanted programs, hijackers, and clandestine Trojans. Unfortunately, because KMSPico provides desirable services, it is not surprising that malware distributors are exploiting it to distribute malicious infections. The best thing that users can do is stay away from illegal software or tools providing them with illegal services because this automatically puts them at risk. If users install activation cracks despite our warnings, they should employ authentic anti-malware tools to ensure, at least, minimal protection.