Would installing an OS on an external ssd and booting into that to run pirated software while blocking access to other drives in your system or physically unplugging them be one way?
Or are there better ways to isolate the software you run and use as much as possible?
I don’t know where you guys get your stuff but if you have reasons to be this causious I would suggest having your important stuff somewhere else instead of the other way arround.
It doesn’t hurt to be cautious. Trusted sources have occasionally included malicious materials and blindsided users
Of course you have. Even with genuine, non-pirated software. Have you heard about data mining?
A(n outbound) firewall is an absolute minimum.