don't know about op's claims but one time a crack actually affected my computer - in a really goofy way. it just installed a background wallpaper that was advertising for canned tuna, all in Russian 😂 the brand didn't even exist where i lived. also i could easily reset the background, so it wasn't malicious at all.
Yeah, that was clearly just the group having fun, sounds like it might have been some kind of in-joke. Stuff like keygen music and adding extra fun stuff to your cracks has always been part of the culture. For the most part, while I'm not saying there is zero risk, but as long as it's from verified groups with good reputation, your pirated software will be safe to use - also part of the culture.
Just ignore the erratic behavior of your PC at it starts installing random browsers and changes your wallpaper to advertising. Literal adware. Haven't heard of this since windows vista and xp.
That is malicious, whether ir affected you or not. Maliciousness is entirely within intent.
