After the Sony rootkit fiasco, you'd think that companies
would have learned their lesson involving dangerous copy protection methods.
Well according to some rather alarming news from cdfreaks.com, it appears that
Starforce is following in the footsteps of the Sony’s now famous rootkit.
According to cdfreaks.com the anti-piracy system that Starforce is using installs
a driver that runs at the highest level of access on the system. Meaning that
this driver has access to basically all same things the operating system itself
enjoys (hardware/drivers/processes). Further more this driver runs all the
time, regardless of whether or not you are playing a game that used Starforce's DRM. If that wasn't
enough to scare you, if the Starforce driver
thinks it has detected suspicious activity relating to disc copying
the driver will instantly reboot your computer without any notification.
Aside from restarting your computer whenever the driver thinks it detects suspicious
activity, the Starforce driver can also interfere with certain device drivers. In fact it can
interfere so bad that the device drivers will run in legacy PIO mode instead of
DMA, this not only slows down you computer but also slows down the data
transfer to affected hardware. As with the Sony rootkit, this Starforce driver
will only install under Administrator privileges.
View: More Information
Demos have protections because some commercial games were "cracked" by replacing the protected executable with the demo one.
Stealing credit card/bank account/paypal information?
Companis like Ubisoft are risking alot if they keep using starforce
If I lose data because of their dips**t practices, Starforce better fire up their email filters.
As for Trackmania Nations, I'll have to run that remover tool each time I play that game. Sucks, but TrackMania Nations is still something fun to play at times.
Pirate the game. If they lose money, maybe they'll notice. Look; this is finally a valid reason to pirate games.
Suggesting/supporting piracy on Neowin is a no-no.
No StarForce No cry...
However, I really don't see Starforce owning up to this or giving any sort of compensation, but instead maybe they will claim it is a necesity to prevent piracy
As far as pirating the game(s), well, it's gotta be ripped of the Starforce installer first.
or I download a pirated, cracked version and enjoy the game without questionable 'features' (not counting being a thief)
...
so what the purpose of this starforce again?
edit: seeing a comment above - 'piracy' thing is supposed to be irony. I do not pirate nor tell other to do so.
do you work for starforce? becuase you sure seem to be suporting this cruddy company
*sigh* One of my favorite games, and it had to be bundled with this POS protection system.
As long as PC games keep coming with it, I'll stick to buying their XBOX counterparts, if they exist.
edit:
Here's an URL with a list of games that come bundled with starforce:
http://www.glop.org/starforce/list.php
More info here:
http://www.futuremark.com/news/?newsarticl...0603/2006032104
Anyway, there are removal tools from the source itself:
http://www.star-force.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=278
Why is the "Sony" in there? No, it's not a rootkit made by Sony, and it has many differences from the "Sony rootkit".
"Starforce DRM Another Rootkit?"
OK, this is better, it's just that it's not really a rootkit. Because it doesn't try to hide from detection and removal, which is basically what a rootkit does. To remove Starforce, you simply run the uninstaller from Add/Remove Programs. Sure, it'll likely reinstall when you start the game again, but that's a different matter (that's to make the game start, and Starforce is a prerequisite). It's quite simple to remove, and official tools are provided if it still wasn't enough.
An evil low-level software doesn't a rootkit make.
The rest is about the wrongful accusation of it being a rootkit. It's just a driver.
Except that usually that won't remove the software. You'd be better served reading this page for uninstallation instructions.
And no, in itself it's not a rootkit (to the best of our knowledge, anyway), but it could very well open your system up to being rooted due to possible exploits in those very drivers.
Somebody needs to relax.
In fact, it utterly "tries to hide from detection and removal".
I have played many StarForce-protected games and game demos, and not a single one of them has explicitly stated or announced in any form that StarForce was being installed at any point in the install process, either via (non-extant) StarForce installation dialog boxes or (hidden) within the licensing agreement of the game.
Nor has StarForce ever been uninstalled by a single one of those games or game demos upon uninstallation of the game/game demo, with or without other StarForce protected software installed on the system at uninstall time.
(Now, you can make the argument this isnt StarForce's (or Protection Technologies) issue, but, in fact, they sign the licensing agreements they make with these game developers/publishers, and could easily require as a condition of licensing that the user be presented with information at game install/uninstall time about StarForce, etc etc, but clearly, this doesnt exist as a licensing requirement)
Additionally, not a single instance or version of StarForce has ever appeared in any form in the "Add/Remove Programs" applet listing, ever, from any of the many games or game demos I've installed that include it.
Furthermore, the Ring 0 Level driver package that it installs, is HIDDEN - as, in fact, it is enumerated and listed within the HIDDEN "Non Plug and Play Drivers" Device Manager listing (viewable only when you select "Show Hidden Devices" in the Device Manager View options).
In fact, its such poorly coded copy protection software that multiple versions of StarForce can and will be installed and co-resident, without regard to removal of earlier versions or upgrading of earlier versions upon install of newer versions, nor must they have much compatibility between newer and older versions of the package, hence the multiple version installs.
"To remove Starforce, you simply run the uninstaller from Add/Remove Programs."
Except that not a single version or install of StarForce has ever appeared in Add/Remove Programs for the many games and game demos ive installed that use it.
But i guess that just some "weird coincidence" and "cant be attributed to StarForce" somehow, right?
Again, if Protection Technologies (the developers of StarForce) werent trying to hide it on systems, wouldnt they require, as per their licensing agreements, that all installs of StarForce be specifically agreed to by the user, and that a listing in Add/Remove Programs be required for knowledge/uninstallation?
"It's quite simple to remove, and official tools are provided if it still wasn't enough."
Its simple to remove if you have located and downloaded a separate uninstaller for it, or if you manually remove the Device Manager listings.
But since it doesnt have a listing in Add/Remove Programs (that I've ever seen), im going to disagree with the "quite simple" assertion. Simple? Maybe, if you know where to locate and download the official uninstaller from. (Of course, that presumes the user even knows about it in the first place, and since its clearly a hidden install, that is unlikely in most cases). Quite simple? Never, since it lacks the installation listing in Add/Remove Programs.
So, yeah, it clearly attempts to and succeeds at hiding by and large, as well as attempts to avoid removal due to lack of an install listing and its utterly hidden nature.
It may not be an intended "malware rootkit" by design, but, then again, neither was Sonys. Its the lack of disclosure at installation time, lack of an install listing, lack of uninstallation at the games uninstallation time, coupled with system stability issues and compatibility issues with other hardware/drivers, that makes this a concern.
They could make almost all of this go away, if they
1) Required as a condition for licensing their copy protection software that distributers of protected content fully disclose at installation time the requirement and installation of the StarForce driver package (as described as follows).
2) Allowed the user to cancel out of the software installation during the point at which they are informed StarForce is about to be installed.
3) Provided simple information about the purpose of StarForce, who makes it, and how it generally works, as well as describes generally describes the fact that it installs a driver package in order to operate.
4) Provided a discrete viewable/readable EULA to the end user for StarForce at install time.
5) Provided a discrete installation listing for StarForce in Add/Remove Programs.
7) Installed an uninstallation utility and "products currently installed that are using StarForce" listing into say, c:program filesStarForce.
There is nothing wrong with a publisher copy protecting their game, or even with using StarForce specifically, as long as they disclose the existence and necessity of the StarForce (or copy protection software) installation, and stop engaging in such practices such as hiding the existence of the the StarForce (or other) copy protection scheme/software.
Full disclosure and transparency is the key and solution here.
Yes its a rootkit and its spyware!!!!!
It's installed without user permission and just because you can uninsall it from add/remove programs does not change that fact!!!!!!!!!!!
And yes its a rootkit because its a driver and yes it does hide itself.
I guote:
"Some versions of StarForce Copy Protection will install dedicated drivers on your PC. Those drivers are necessary for the StarForce specific CD/DVD checking procedure, only. They do not include any hidden functionality. The drivers are active only at execution of the protected application."
Bull ****, it runs 24/7 and without permission. And yes its hidden functionality as we all know.
"The purpose of StarForce copy protection is to resist emulation, cracking and reverse engineering. These matters are usually salved by means of disc binding. Also to face these tasks StarForce installs four drivers that remain inactive until the protected product is run."
Again bull!!!!
"To conclude, we must say that StarForce does not use rootkits, StarForce does not cause security issues and StarForce is not the only software developer that installs ring 0 drivers. We appreciate all the feedback from our clients and users and that is why StarForce drivers will be automatically uninstalled in the latest version of our copy protection system FrontLine 4.0. The official release with many other significant improvements will follow within days."
Um so they admit it um? And then they try and exsure thier actions by saying others do it too so why not us. haha yeah!
Um automatically uninstalled um? Really? Then why does everyone still have them install until the remove this **** manually?
http://www.gamingmoz.org/edimg/undeadphil/simcity2000.jpg Case in point. They mirrored it basically, but it looks EXACTLY like the older title's art. Nice work, guys.
It is in no way a rootkit, it lets people know that it is being installed, it doesn't try to stop people from uninstalling it and it doesn't have any security holes that will allow some hacker to gain control of your system. In StarForce's history, it has had only one security hole, and it has since been patched fairly quickly.
I have backed up games with StarForce installed, and I'm fairly sure that my computer hasn't restarted. Did you know that most software is capable of deleting your Documents and Settings folder? Doesn't mean it will. Saying that software "may restart your computer" is just like saying "George Bush may launch a nuke at Canada" sure it's completely possible, but will it happen? No.
Now the fact that it runs all the time means nothing, it doesn't occupy CPU cycles, and the memory it takes up is negligible. When most people have an anti-virus, firewall, video and sound drivers, instant messenger, explorer, and many other processes running at all times, what does a measly little copy protection matter? It isn't slowing much down.
Videogame companies have the right to protect their software, I believe that Epic has the best idea though. They release a patch removing the protection about four months into the life of their game. Since most games makes the majority of sales at the beginning of their lives, it is necessary to have some sort of protection scheme (CD-Key is not enough), but after those few months, the protection serves hardly anything short of annoying the end user with having to find their disc, so they developer might as well just remove the need for it.
Secondly; StarForce is a company developing a tool to prevent CD/DVD copy. They don't install it on your computer and they don't tell you to install it on your computer. It comes with the game. Its the game publishers who have decided to use StarForce. So why do peeps keep on registering on StarForce forum and start their crusade? If you don't want StarForce, I guess the only thing to do is to let game publishers know that we don't like this kind of garbage on our beloved computers. The StarForce company can't do nothing about it really.
Well thats my 2cents.
Last edited by P1R4T3 on 21 Mar 2006 - 23:21
Switch Linux and you never will see rootkits.
I'll take my chances with SF thanks.
Serious Work? Linux.
Multimedia Videos? Linux.
Last edited by Ravensworth on 22 Mar 2006 - 06:25
oh what was that.... oh you wanted sound from TWO!!! apps at once... oh wow... no I can't do that... (well it's somewhat app dependant but any of the media players will pretty much take exclusive control).
As for serius work... well not if that serius work includes using an office app. since there's no alternative for linux for MS OFfice yet (no OO is nowhere near good enough for work places who seriusly use OFfice, it's good enough for home users and that's it), sure you can use crossower, but then why not just use windows, it's just better that way.
Sue them into the poorhouse.
Seriously.
Hey, at least it'll save him $50 from not replacing his messed up burner because of some smartasses who stick in invasive game protection into people's computers.
One time I install a software that bypass SF protection, and it caused my harddrive turn into PIO mode, and everytime I try to access the drive, computer crashes. Now I already removed the game, I just don't want SF hanging around my computer anymore.
Games list, information, removal.
Not only starforce installs unwanted software it gives no option of removing it
I am seriously mad right now
On my older desktop, shortly after I installed XIII, I was getting blue screens and all sorts of stuff. After I reinstalled windows I put XIII back on and the machine started blue screening.... I figured it was a hardware issue at that point and just got new hardware. Damn you starforce.
besides, isnt this technically MALWARE? doing things we dont know are being processed.. i think that categorizes into MALWARE (bec they can "harm" your computer = reboot and loose valuable data)
I had my system constantly