Cracking

Definitions

The practice of bypassing software copy protection, license checks, or other restrictions, often through reverse engineering and patching binaries. In computing culture the term is historically associated with warez scenes and the distinction some communities drew between exploratory hacking and illicit cracking.
In plain English: Breaking software protections so a program can be used outside its intended limits.
Example: "Old-school cracking groups treated keygen releases like technical art projects."