Cybercriminals know that people want free Photoshop. They generate fake "cracks" and "authorization code generators" that are packed with:

Because the activation servers for CS3 are permanently offline, a traditional is no longer a viable way to unlock the software. To use CS3 today, you must use the specific "activation-free" installer and serial number originally provided by Adobe. If you cannot find these in your Adobe account, it may be time to transition to a modern alternative that is compatible with today's operating systems.

"Extended" was the premium version, costing over $1,000 USD at launch. Because it was expensive, "authorization code generators" (keygens) were rampant on peer-to-peer networks in the late 2000s.

You can try Adobe Customer Care , but most users report that agents can no longer generate these codes because the backend tools are gone.

The End of an Era: What to Do if Photoshop CS3 is Asking for an Authorization Code

If you already have CS3 installed on a computer that was activated before the servers shut down, it may continue working indefinitely on that machine.