Denuvo

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Denuvo

Denuvo logo.png
Basic data

developer Denuvo Software Solutions GmbH
Publishing year 23rd September 2014
operating system Microsoft Windows
category Digital rights management , anti-cheat tool
License Proprietary software
www.denuvo.com

Denuvo is copy protection software that was developed by the Austrian Denuvo Software Solutions GmbH . The company was created through a management buyout from Sony DADC . On August 23, 2018, the company announced that it would now also develop an anti-cheat tool .

technology

Denuvo limits the possibilities for debugging , reverse engineering and changing (manipulating) files that are used by DRM systems. A bypassing of the systems is to be prevented so that the software can only be executed with a lawfully acquired software license. The software represents a kind of bypass protection for other protection concepts.

The manufacturer is therefore of the opinion that the software is not a DRM solution , as it only protects existing DRM solutions such as Steam or Origin .

criticism

Initial reports indicated that Denuvo "continually encrypts and decrypts itself for self-protection." In addition, some customers have claimed that Denuvo shortens the lifespan of solid-state drives because of the excessive amount of data being written to the drives. The manufacturer then announced that the software "does not continuously encrypt and decrypt data on data carriers." This would offer "no advantages in terms of security or performance."

Further reports from users indicate that copy protection may be responsible for slower performance and longer loading times for some games. When tested, however, these vary greatly due to the differences between the various system configurations. As a rule, Denuvo shouldn't affect the gaming experience on newer devices, but weak computers can cause noticeable problems.

safety

The Chinese release group 3DM reported in early December 2014 that it had successfully bypassed Denuvo. The group stated that Denuvo uses a 64-bit encryption algorithm with unmistakable hardware-bound cryptographic keys based on the system hardware . A short time later, the same group published a crack for the computer game Dragon Age: Inquisition , which Denuvo uses to protect Origin . When asked about this, Denuvo confirmed that “every protected game will be cracked at some point”. However, due to the time of more than 30 days between the game's release and the crack, publishers could consider Denuvo a success, as most legitimate purchases of a game take place within the first 30 days of its release.

In August 2016, the Warez group "CONSPIR4CY" (CPY) released a crack for the game Rise of the Tomb Raider . The crack is based on a recently published and patched exploit for the demo of the game Doom . Patched Denuvo-protected games are recognized as Doom demos.

In early 2017, Denuvo was cracked on Resident Evil 7: Biohazard within less than five days of its release. The crack was again carried out by the Warez group "CONSPIR4CY" (CPY).

On June 5, 2017, the new warez group "STEAMPUNKS" released the first Denuvo license generator for the game Dishonored 2 . The game files are not changed, instead a license is created which Denuvo recognizes as valid and thus bypasses the protection.

In April 2019, the Russian magazine Хакер ("Hacker") published an article describing the internal structure of DENUVO protection using the example of EA Origin and describing the method for generating license keys.

The Denuvo protection for the game Wolfenstein: Youngblood was cracked 21 days after the game was released in August 2019.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ pcgameshardware.de accessed on October 31, 2018.
  2. ↑ Denuvo FAQ. Denuvo Software Solutions GmbH, accessed on May 29, 2017 (English).
  3. ↑ a b Karan Kalra: How The New DRM Denuvo Might Be Damaging Your SSD. In: ASidCast. November 18, 2014, archived from the original on December 3, 2014 ; accessed on May 29, 2017 (English).
  4. ↑ Benjamin Gründken: Dragon Age: Inquisition - Reports about Denuvo copy protection destroying SSDs unsettle players, much ado about nothing? In: PC Games Hardware. November 20, 2014, accessed January 11, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Copy protection Denuvo beats the performance with DMC5. Retrieved January 12, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Devil May Cry 5 runs noticeably faster without Denuvo and here is how you can remove it. Retrieved January 12, 2020 .
  7. ^ Paul Younger: Denuvo DRM has been cracked. In: PC Invasion. December 3, 2014, accessed May 29, 2017 .
  8. ↑ a b Robert Purchese: Don't call it DRM: what's Denuvo Anti-Tamper? In: Eurogamer.net. December 19, 2014, accessed January 11, 2016 .
  9. ^ Kyle Orland: Major piracy group warns games may be crack-proof in two years. In: Ars Technica. January 7, 2016, accessed May 29, 2017 .
  10. ^ Andy: Denuvo Properly Cracked, "Rise of the Tomb Raider" First Victim. In: TorrentFreak. August 9, 2016, accessed May 29, 2017 .
  11. ^ John Papadopoulos: Resident Evil 7 - Latest version of the Denuvo anti-tamper tech cracked in less than five days. In: DSOGaming. January 29, 2017, accessed May 29, 2017 .
  12. ^ Richard Scott-Jones: Crisis for Denuvo as hackers develop working DRM key generator. In: PCGamesN. June 6, 2017, accessed June 21, 2017 .
  13. ↑ eleven: Хроники битвы при Denuvo. Как "непробиваемая" игровая защита EA Origin оказалась пробиваемой. In: «Хакер». April 19, 2019, accessed on May 1, 2019 (ru-RU).
  14. ↑ Codex cracks Wolfenstein: Youngblood after 21 days Report on website tarnkappe.info on August 18, 2019. Retrieved on August 19, 2019