Is there any way to pirate premium WordPress plugins and minimizing the chance of getting malware? Meaning perhaps there are certain sources that are known to provide malware free content and generally have a good reputation. I know piracy will always involve risks but it doesn't hurt to ask people with first-hand experience. I am even willing to pay but there's no way I will afford plugins that cost hundreds of dollars a year anytime soon.

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[–] zo0@programming.dev 22 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I would ask you to reconsider. Maybe look for an open source alternative or just another solution rather than wp plugins, or wp in general. There are already alternative foss programs to wp if you really need a suite for making the website.

The reason I say this is simply security. Let's say you get your hands on a fully malware free version of that plugin today, so far so good. What happens when the plugin needs a security update? Your version is pirated so it obviously won't be updated automatically. Now until you find an updated pirated version your website has a security hole that you can't do anything about unless you disable the plugin. Depending on plugin, now your website is either broken, slow or whatever you get the point

[–] goldensw@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 15 hours ago

Yeah, I am starting to come to the same conclusion. Keeping the plugin up to date seems like the biggest issue even IF I do manage to find an initial reliable source.

[–] Priyathium@lemmy.ml 6 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

This is the time to move your website to something other than WordPress or use free themes. I genuinely don't want anyone's website to end up like this: Overpaying me after using illegal plugins (I wrote this)

[–] goldensw@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 12 hours ago

An interesting read. I am glad I posted here. :)

[–] lukecooperatus@lemmy.ml 7 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

Most of the paid plugins I've messed with have code to phone home and prevent operation if there's not a paid license of some sort.

However, before you bother trying to put effort into pirating those, I recommend making certain that what you want isn't already freely available a different way. Many paid plugins have decent open source and free alternative plugin(s) that can be used instead. You just have to look hard enough in the plugin listing. The WordPress ecosystem is vast, but there are a ton of smarmy assholes charging monthly subscriptions for plugins that replicate features provided by free plugins and hoping you won't notice.

[–] 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 6 hours ago

You can always look for code that validates the license and make it return true all the time. This part is easy, so many agencies usually also have a different obfuscated code to check for code modification.

It's just time consuming depending on how many levels of obfuscation they've used.

[–] goldensw@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

True, I've come across some free plugins that offer better functionality than paid versions. The issue is how often will the dev update it and how long will development continue. It might be risky to depend longterm on something that is free but has 5k downloads vs something that is paid with 50k downloads and is getting constant updates. Of course, if you pirate paid plugins it's arguably even worse with the updates... so I guess pirating plugins is not really the best of ideas.

[–] onesmuvver@piefed.social 4 points 15 hours ago

Do not do that.

[–] StitchInTime@piefed.social 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I made a reply instead of a top level comment, then remembered https://gpldl.com/repository/

I think it’s legit, but verify the code if you can. Since Wordpress plugins are all GPL technically it’s not piracy 🙃

[–] goldensw@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 15 hours ago

That seems quite legit :). Thank you! Will check it out

[–] hexagonwin@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

aren't wordpress plugins just php code? i believe it would be trivial to look through, if you can obtain them in the first place.

[–] StitchInTime@piefed.social 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

They’re also all GPL due to the nature of Wordpress, even the “paid” ones, so if you can find a copy you’re also in the clear - just be careful of your sources.

[–] goldensw@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 15 hours ago

Some of the plugins I've seen use "tokens" for example to enable pro features. They also have free versions but their functionality is often severely limited.

[–] mbirth@lemmy.ml 3 points 16 hours ago

i believe it would be trivial to look through, if you can obtain them in the first place.

That’s the key point. Most paid plugins you can download only after paying. And if you get your hands on a copy, that doesn’t mean you’ll get updates, too. And running old plugins can considerably harm the security of your installation.

But if you can get your hands on a fully functional demo, you usually can remove limits.

[–] goldensw@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

I am not a dev myself, I am collaborating with someone who is though but I doubt he would be willing to do that and guarantee me the code is malware free.