Most modern MMORPG's and online games require that your client connect to a company's central server for authentication and processing of the game world. A cracked server, also known as a private server, is a server that can be run on your home PC that allows you to connect your client locally and access the game. In addition, you can exchange your host information with other people who have the game and they can connect to the server running on your machine as well.

This is an illegal practice in most situations. As an example, a popular MMORPG named World of Warcraft has players connect to a central server and pay a monthly fee for the service. A private server would allow a player to bypass connecting to World of Warcraft servers and thus having to pay a monthly charge.

It has been debated that if you have an active, paid account with the company who runs the game that you have a private server for, that it wouldn't be illegal so long as you didn't let others connect. However in the case of World of Warcraft, Blizzard's terms of service specifically prohibit running the game on a private server, regardless of account status.

Another issue associated with private servers is security. If precautions are not taken to secure the PC you designate as a server, it is possible for other people to connect and upload viruses and spyware, or even download personal information that you have stored on the machine. In addition, when attempting to run a legitimate (not legal but a game that follows the original rules) server, some players will attempt to hack the server giving them an advantage over other players within the game.

References

<references />