Sony's back for more, running BioShock DRM with a rootkit

[Zeus]

Internet reports indicate that the Sony owned SecuROM protection used in Bioshock comes complete with a rootkit for the Bioshock installation on BOTH the demo and full retail version of the game. Understandably this has angered a lot of gamers.


BioShock is undoubtedly a critical darling, but it's not without its share of technical woes. 2K Games is already on the ball with the widescreen field of view "issue," and has even slackened activation requirements, allowing for up to five SecuROM activations per copy of BioShock. Unfortunately, activation problems go deeper than that, since the Sony-owned SecuROM has deemed it necessary to pack in a rootkit with the BioShock installation, both for registered versions of the game and, inexplicably, the demo. We would've hoped 2K games chose its DRM provider carefully, and screened for such shenanigans, but Sony's SecuROM really has no excuse, since we've certainly been down this path before.


News Source: <A href="http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/25/sonys-back-for-more-running-bioshock-drm-with-a-rootkit/" target="_blank">Engadget</a>

[SkynetworX]

lol ... Sony delivers the copy protection for a PC/360 exclusive? xD

[danight]

Oh lord... not sony and those damn root kits again. Didn't they learn from the last time where they got sued.

[coolcepi]

apparently not... now this is a waste! :mad:

[nwo504]

oh teh irony

[Xian97]

It's not a rootkit, just a false positive from Rootkit Revealer due to a registry key with a * in it. A real rootkit would hide files from the OS.

As far as protection on the demo goes, many recent demos have protection. City Life even had Starforce in the demo. They claim that some pirates have reverse engineered the demo to crack the real product, so they had to protect the demo too.

[maxwellsmart]

This has been debunked as FUD. It's not a rootkit and nothing like one.

Edit: The author (loser) recants his story about the "rootkit" (linked):
*REFERENCES TO ROOTKIT HAVE BEEN REMOVED, FURTHER INVESTIGATION HAS REVEALED A MISUNDERSTANDING IN THE THE SECUROM SERVICE (http://www.gamingbob.com/2007/08/23/bioshock-installs-rootkit-including-demo/)

The lamer doesn't care that it's actually not a rootkit:I don't care if it is one or not. My point of this article is that the SecuROM service doesn't need to be included in the demo if we don't have to activate it.

And of course (linked), 2K games website details that the Securom stuff is not a rootkit (http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/pc_faq.html).

[cardboardbox]

shouldnt this be in the pc section

oh wait...

[Adopted]

Will a .99 cent sharpie work this time to defeat the DRM?

[retardbud]

lol I hope so :p

[taiki]

OK. 2K games ships with SecuROM either knowing or not knowing about it?

If 2K games knew about SecuROM rootkitting, then this is their fault. This isn't Sony's. Sony's name is nowhere on the packaging. They didn't publish this game.

If 2K games didn't know that SecuROM rootkitted, then this is their fault for using software that they never tested to make sure it didn't hose the customer's PC.

2K Games FUCKED UP.

[Xenogears V]

LOL....Sony protects Microsoft from the piracy!.

[ku16610]

SECUROM SERVICE IS NOT A ROOTKIT

Jesus christ some of the posters here are proper retarded.


if you took maybe 1 min to check your story you would have realised this.


http://www.gamingbob.com/2007/08/23/bioshock-installs-rootkit-including-demo/

Read the artcle youll note its been updated with the truth.


SecuROM™ will install a Windows™ service module called “User Access Service” (UAService) on your system. This is a standard interface commonly used by several other applications as well. It is no spyware or rootkit at all. This module has been developed to enable users without Windows™ administrator rights the ability to access all SecuROM™ features. Please be assured that this service is installed only for security and convenience purposes. Since it is a standard Windows™ service, you can stop and delete this service, like any other Windows™ service. If deleted, the access for non-administrator users to SecuROM™ protected applications will be affected.

*REFERENCES TO ROOTKIT HAVE BEEN REMOVED, FURTHER INVESTIGATION HAS REVEALED A MISUNDERSTANDING IN THE THE SECUROM SERVICE

[WalkingTiger]

Regardless of it's not being a true-to-the-definition rootkit, this kind of installing behind-the-scenes software and services on one's machine truly rubs me the wrong way...

It's this kind of thing, as well as all the recent confusion & difficulty over the restrictiveness of the copy protection, that cements my decision to simply pick up Bioshock on a console, and is one of a couple of reasons I largely got back out of PC gaming, aside from things like WoW...

~WalkingTiger

[MaTiAz]

And besides, what the **** is SecuROM doing in the Bioshock demo?

[amadeus]

And besides, what the **** is SecuROM doing in the Bioshock demo?



From the link

Our pal Dan at PC Gamer points out that while he thought it was goofy to have the DRM on the demo too, it turns out that they pretty much always do this -- if they don't, pirates can use the unprotected exe to figure out what the difference between the demo and retail exe is, and that makes it easier to hack out.

I dont think this case is anywhere as insidious as the CD rootkits.

[pangbulle]

could sony just grow up pls

[put4558350]

I think. Software that give "right" to the "non-right" "person" or "software" is rootkit.

SecuROM™ will install a Windows™ service module called “User Access Service” (UAService) on your system. This is a standard interface commonly used by several other applications as well. It is no spyware or rootkit at all. This module has been developed to enable users without Windows™ administrator rights the ability to access all SecuROM™ features. Please be assured that this service is installed only for security and convenience purposes. Since it is a standard Windows™ service, you can stop and delete this service, like any other Windows™ service. If deleted, the access for non-administrator users to SecuROM™ protected applications will be affected.

= allow non-administrator users (& undesirable program) to used administrator rights function.

as best as i can think if thay don't desire to spying our activity
: Thay wish us to take game that can install 5 time to play at work or school.