A patch is a small computer program that modifies the machine code of another program. A keygen is a handmade product serial number generator that often offers the ability to generate working serial numbers in your own name. Some of these tools are called keygen, patch, loader, or no-disc crack. Software cracking contributes to the rise of online piracy where pirated software is distributed to end-users through filesharing sites like BitTorrent, One click hosting (OCH), or via Usenet downloads, or by downloading bundles of the original software with cracks or keygens.

Examples of cracks are: applying a patch or by creating reverse-engineered serial number generators known as keygens, thus bypassing software registration and payments or converting a trial/demo version of the software into fully-functioning software without paying for it. A crack would refer to any tool to enable breaking into a computer network or a software application. Copy protection can be removed by applying a specific crack. Software cracking (known as 'breaking' mostly in the 1980s ) is an act of removing copy protection from a software. ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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