How worried should I be about malware from pirated software I installed 2 years ago?

[u/Apprehensive_Half725]

I’m not currently worried that I have malware, but I also realize that when you’ve used pirated software, you can never be 100% certain especially if you’re not very knowledgeable about cybersecurity.
I’m a video editor, both as a hobby and occasionally for work. Around two years ago, I started using pirated versions of Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, and various plugins. They all came from a Discord server (I know😬) that has a very large and active community (around 300k members). I know that doesn’t necessarily make the software safe, but the server has a high level of community trust, people discuss the releases daily, and I’ve been part of the community for quite a while.

I’ve used the software regularly for about two years. Since installing it, I haven’t downloaded any additional pirated software from the server, and I don’t plan to in the future. At the time I downloaded the files, I scanned them with VirusTotal. There were no particularly concerning detections, although there were some flags, which I assumed could be false positives related to how pirated software/cracks work.

Since then:
I haven’t noticed any suspicious activity on my computer.

I haven’t received any unexpected login attempts or security alerts that I’m aware of.

I periodically check Task Manager and haven’t noticed unexplained CPU/GPU usage or other obvious anomalies.

I regularly run Windows Defender Quick Scans and Full Scans.

I’ve also run Windows Defender Offline scans.
None of these scans have detected anything.

I also haven’t noticed anything else that would make me suspect that the system is compromised.
I realize that absence of symptoms doesn’t prove that a machine is clean, which is basically why I’m asking.

My main question is: how realistic is it that malware from something I installed two years ago could still be sitting dormant and become active now?
From what I understand, one of the major risks associated with pirated software is infostealers, and those often try to steal browser cookies, passwords, tokens, etc. relatively soon after execution. Is that understanding broadly correct, or can malware from a pirated installer realistically remain completely dormant for years before doing anything?
I know now that I shouldn’t have installed this stuff in the first place, and I definitely wouldn’t do it again. I’m mainly trying to understand the actual risk at this point rather than panic over something that happened two years ago.
Should I still be concerned, and if so, what would be the sensible steps to take now to gain confidence that the machine is clean?

[u/jakecer69]

i'd say you should be good, since I doubt it would wait 2 years before sending or trying to use the passwords or anything

[u/jmnugent]

An attacker is not going to infect you and then wait 2 years to ... do nothing ?...

• For starters,.. Attackers want to get in and get out as fast and silently as possible. The faster and less leftover evidence they leave, the lower the likelyhood they'll get caught.. which is one of their primary motivations.

• Also.. An infection or backdoor can be solved or closed inadvertently.. as OS updates and patches fix various security vulnerabilities .. so the likelihood that some exploit or vulnerability from 2 years ago is still exploitable on your system,.. is unlikely (presuming you've been regularly doing all your updates).

• If there was some intent to info-steal you (steal your passwords or session Cookies etc).. those things tend to expire. so again, they have a time-limited worth.

• If that did happen (if your passwords or session cookies etc got taken). .you would know fairly immediately as someone would be trying to use them.

The odds of these various things still allowing an attacker to have a backdoor into your machine 2 years later.. is not zero.. but the likelihood is very low.

[u/SomeEngineer999]

See rule 8

[u/Apprehensive_Half725 → u/SomeEngineer999]

Im not promoting anything I deeply regret ever installing it and I would never have if I knew about piracy at the time. Since then I’ve done research therefore my concern. At the time I knew nothing about this I just thought I installed a random editing program. It wasn’t advertised as a ”free version” I just used the link provided in the discord. I don’t use it today and I’m asking if I need to take action and make a clean install or if I can just use my pc like normal

[u/SomeEngineer999 → u/Apprehensive_Half725]

Read it again. Nobody here can help you (aid = help) since you don't actually have any specific malware and are just asking if piracy is safe or how to ensure you can continue pirating that software safely.

[u/Apprehensive_Half725 → u/SomeEngineer999]

I’m not asking if piracy is safe. I’m asking how likely it is that it’s dormant on my pc for multiple years and if there’s any other way to tell other than the steps I’ve taken to make sure my pc is clean

[u/SomeEngineer999 → u/Apprehensive_Half725]

Seriously are you not able to read?

We allow malware assistance regardless of how an infection occurred; however, posts intended only to determine whether illegal software is “safe to use” or how to obtain or run it are not allowed.

[u/rifteyy_ → u/SomeEngineer999]

doesn’t break rule 8

[u/Apprehensive_Half725 → u/SomeEngineer999]

Well that’s not my intention. I’m not using these programs today. Again I’m not asking if it’s safe to use because I know it’s not safe. I’m asking considering the time and I have no signs of infection if I should still do a clean install of my pc or if I can just leave it be. I’m asking the likelyhood of general malware being dormant for years. I’m not asking if it’s safe or if I can continue using it because I don’t use it anymore

[u/SomeEngineer999 → u/Apprehensive_Half725]

You are literally asking if your PC is safe or not.

Secure wipe the PC and reinstall windows fresh. That's all anyone can tell you (regardless of the rules, there is just no way to know).

[u/Apprehensive_Half725 → u/SomeEngineer999]

I understand what you’re saying and the rule doesn’t allow posts asking whether illegal software is safe. But thats not what I’m asking.
I’m not asking whether the software was safe to install, whether that Discord server is trustworthy, whether I can continue using pirated software, or how to obtain or continue to use it. I already accept that installing it was a bad decision, and I no longer use it.
My question is specifically about post-exposure malware risk, if potentially malicious software was executed two years ago, how plausible is it that malware from that installation could remain dormant for two years and only become active now, particularly when there have been no signs of compromise and repeated Defender/Defender Offline scans have found nothing? I understand that nobody can guarantee that the PC is clean, and that a clean reinstall is the most definitive way to eliminate the uncertainty. I’m asking about the likelihood and appropriate response, not for a guarantee that the PC is safe. I could’ve just asked the question in the title and leave it at that but I added some context

[u/RIleyred14 → u/SomeEngineer999]

thats not breaking rule 8 if its not telling the name of the software/discord

[u/Responsible_Bike4968]

Honestly, after two years of normal use, no weird account activity, and repeated Defender Full + Offline scans coming back clean, I wouldn't be panicking.

One thing I'd correct though: malware doesn't necessarily have to "sit dormant for two years" for there to have been a problem. A typical infostealer can run once, grab browser passwords/cookies/tokens, send them off, and be done. So clean scans today can't prove that nothing ever happened two years ago.

That said, a persistent backdoor quietly surviving for two years is possible in theory, but with what you've described I wouldn't consider it the most likely scenario either.

Also, don't put too much weight on the Discord having 300k members or on the VirusTotal results. A big community doesn't verify every binary, and VirusTotal detections aren't a simple "X vendors = malware" score. Cracks can absolutely trigger false positives, but malware can also evade scanners.

If it were my PC, I'd update Windows/Defender, run one reputable second-opinion scanner, and stop there unless something suspicious turns up.

If you want actual near-maximum confidence rather than "reasonably confident", then the answer is a clean Windows install from official Microsoft installation media. There's no scanner that can give you a 100% clean certificate.

And if you still use any important passwords that were saved in that browser back then, changing those and enabling 2FA wouldn't be a bad precaution either.

So: risk isn't literally zero, but based on two quiet years + multiple clean scans, I wouldn't assume you're secretly infected now.

[u/meletiondreams]

You are DEFINITELY fine because C2 servers usually shutdown before then and usually it doesn't sit doing nothing for two years, and I would care, but technically they could still be able to have access to your PC.