Since the beginning of the Internet, there were ways to get Software and other media, anything that can be transferred digitally and any software that can be hacked, cracked or had a serial number without the ability to track who uses it (nowadays it’s over and we have licenses that are connected to the cloud for updates to almost any software).
With WordPress, you can create a website without paying much, just buy a domain name and any cheap hosting, and you’ll have yourself a brand new WordPress website in no time!
After playing around with WordPress, you’ll soon get the fever of “playing around with plugins”, which is fun, but the free plugins don’t do much, and the really cool functions are open only with a Premium version and a paid license. And after a couple searches online you’ll realize you can buy the premium plugins that cost 10s or even hundreds of dollars for a few bucks, or even for FREE! Something that is called “Nulled”, and is based on a “half-legal” way of spreading plugins.
You see, WordPress plugins mostly have a license that will let you download and install the plugin after you paid for it, and you won’t be restricted with the use of the files of the plugin, meaning that you’ll be able to install the plugin on any number of websites. The legality of this license is complicated and I won’t get into it. I will say that this is not the “correct” or legal way of using premium plugins; Yes, you guessed it, the correct way is to pay to them.
But, plugins are very expensive sometimes, yes. That’s why the expensive ones are used on professional websites, that make money and don’t really bother on small expenses which vary between websites, but can be between 20$ and 2000$ per year, depending on what plugins you’re using and what type of license you purchased. There are still a few plugins and bundles that you can purchase with a Lifetime License, and when you need a plugin that has that type of license, you should consider it.
Why “Nulled” plugins are so dangerous
Besides the point that you’re using a paid software for “free”, you can’t rely on the websites that deliver those plugins, in a “nulled” state the plugin is sometimes manipulated and viruses\malware can be easily inserted into them. So when you buy a premium plugin from a “3rd party website” that sell it for only a few bucks, you might be installing a virus on your website.
How to tell is a plugin is “Nulled”?
Every plugin has a main website of the company that created it, to make sure you’re purchasing the plugin from it’s owner you should always check the link to the premium license on the wordpress plugins archive, if the plugin has a free version that is.
If the plugin seems to be too “cheap”, like 5$ is very cheap for a plugin, you should be suspicious. You can always try to google the name of the plugin and try to find the main website of the creators and buy it from them directly.
What to do if I have nulled plugins installed on my WordPress website?
You should consider purchasing the licenses of those plugins if you really need their functionality, or remove them completely if you don’t. You should also use a malware scanner that may be provided by your hosting provider or with a plugin inside of WordPress (like Wordfence)