Have you considered simply talking to your colleague about the issue?

I don't agree that this is "none of your business" case, since the computer is used in university lab, most probably connected to university network. So the university is affected by whatever risks cracked software may bear (viruses and such), and any piracy tracking will probably identify the offender as having university IP address. This may result in trouble for both your colleague and the university.

However, without solid proof you should not assume anything. Ask your colleague about the software. Chances are, they have a reasonable explanation for the error message you've seen. If they admit using cracked software, tell them it's against university policies (it almost certainly is), and give them a chance to fix the situation.

Escalating the issue right away and without warning will not win you any friends (not even your supervisor). Additionally, discovering cracked software on someone's personal laptop may lead to question about your own ethics. Depending on how you present the situation, you may be seen as either accusing someone without sufficient proof, or accessing someone's computer without permission.

Have you considered simply talking to your colleague about the issue?

I don't agree that this is "none of your business" case, since the computer is used in university lab, most probably connected to university network. So the university is affected by whatever risks cracked software may bear (viruses and such), and any piracy tracking will probably identify the offender as having university IP address. This may result in trouble for both your colleague and the university.

However, without solid proof you should not assume anything. Ask your colleague about the software. Chances are, they have a reasonable explanation for the error message you've seen: they may have a legit free trial version which expired, connection issues preventing license validation, missing license token etc. If they admit using cracked software, tell them it's against university policies (it almost certainly is), and give them a chance to fix the situation.

Escalating the issue right away and without warning will not win you any friends (not even your supervisor). Additionally, discovering cracked software on someone's personal laptop may lead to question about your own ethics. Depending on how you present the situation, you may be seen as either accusing someone without sufficient proof, or accessing someone's computer without permission.