Adobe's Subscription-Only Photoshop CC Has Already Been Pirated

Within a day of its release, Adobe’s cloud-integrated editing application Photoshop CC has already been pirated. Photoshop CC is a big step for Adobe—a step away from standalone software and toward their new subscription model.

As Fstoppers reports, pirated copies of the software are being shared through BitTorrent and don’t require authentication with Adobe’s servers. Photoshop CC was cracked similarly to previous versions of Photoshop, and the pirated application takes advantage of the software’s offline mode, which checks in with Adobe’s servers only once a month.

Although Creative Cloud represents more than an anti-piracy act—with Adobe focusing on providing cloud services like online storage, version backups, online publishing, and social integration—there were certainly hopes that the shift away from standalone software would help stop piracy. Photoshop is one of the most pirated pieces of software, along with other common desktop apps like Microsoft’s Office suite. Microsoft is similarly transitioning to a subscription model with Office 365, but it also offers a full version of all Office programs as a one-time purchase, as well as many individual apps. Either because of that, or because Microsoft’s security is more advanced, Office 365 has yet to fall victim to pirates.

It’s likely that Adobe knew this was going to happen. Considering the time frame, it doesn’t seem that the company has made any real attempt to improve its piracy protection.

It’s important to keep in mind that users choosing to pirate the software won’t have access to Adobe’s cloud features, which are the main selling points of Photoshop CC. Ultimately, the company’s goal of locking its paying customers into subscriptions isn’t really affected by the software leak.