Using pirated or nulled versions of a security tool like ionCube is highly counterproductive for several reasons: Security Vulnerabilities (Malware)
Using a nulled version of is highly discouraged for several critical reasons: ionCube PHP Encoder 15 Ioncube Php Encoder Nulled 15
It compiles scripts into a secure bytecode format that is much more effective than simple source code obfuscation. Using pirated or nulled versions of a security