(and your data) are the product. He wiped his drive, changed his passwords, and decided that a few bucks a month for a reputable VPN

: Users can now choose to enable or disable the kill switch. Split Tunneling

If budget is genuinely a concern, these legitimate free VPNs are safer than any crack:

: Cracked software is frequently bundled with malicious code, such as Trojans and infostealers, that can exfiltrate banking credentials, passwords, and personal messages. Systemic Security Vulnerabilities

They provide a generous 45-day money-back guarantee. You can use the service and get a full refund if it doesn’t meet your needs.