As it turned out, the "crack" was actually malware, which had infected John's laptop. The ads were just the beginning; the malware had also compromised his personal data and was now sending it to unknown servers.
One website stood out, claiming to offer a "100% working" crack for AirServer. John downloaded the software, but as he installed it, his antivirus software flagged it as malicious. He hesitated, wondering if he should take the risk.