Starforce DRM Cause PCs to Reboot

["Fergie" <fergdawg () netzero net>]

Yet another example of why DRM is freekin' evil.

Via cdfreaks.com.

[snip]

Despite all the problems DRM has been causing lately, it seems like companies involved in copy protection just keep 
trying to create more dangerous copy protections. Originally, they were more of a nuisance causing compatibility 
issues, installing wanted software, etc. Next came Sony Rootkits which used cloaking to hide its DRM processes and 
files, but with the side affect of being able to cloak spyware & viruses, thus causing a serious security risk. More 
recently, the Settec Alpha-DVD protection has been reported to cause DVD writers to malfunction.

Now, Futuremark has uncovered a very dangerous anti-piracy system Starforce is now using. This copy protection system 
installs a driver that runs at the highest level of access on the system, which gives it low level access to the PCs 
hardware and any drivers and processes. This driver runs regardless of whether the game runs; keeping an eye out for 
any suspicious activity such as attempting to copy a protected disc. If something suspicious is detected, it forces the 
PC to make an immediate reboot, regardless of any other applications running and whether or not the user has any 
unsaved work.

[snip]

More:
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13212

- ferg


--
"Fergie", a.k.a. Paul Ferguson
 Engineering Architecture for the Internet
 fergdawg () netzero net or fergdawg () sbcglobal net
 ferg's tech blog: http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/


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