StarForce
StarForce is a software - copy of the Russian developer StarForce Technologies (formerly Protection Technology ), the status since October 2007. Microsoft Certified Partner has reached.
overview
StarForce works under the Microsoft Windows operating system . It wraps executable files and DLL files with bytecode , which is then translated by its own virtual machine .
It is believed that StarForce measures the physical angle between the first and last written sectors on the CD, which is the same on all pressed copies. It is now possible to reproduce this feature if some special factors are taken into account when copying (see below).
Furthermore, StarForce uses, just like the copy protection mechanisms SafeDisc and SecuROM , black lists of programs that reproduce ( emulate ) optical drives , such as DAEMON Tools and Alcohol 120% . StarForce 3.x has not allowed the use of optical SCSI drives if there are optical IDE drives in the system because many optical drive emulation programs pretend to be SCSI drives. If no IDE drives that can be used by StarForce are installed, SCSI and emulated devices work without being influenced by StarForce. As of version 4.0, no cases of such behavior of the StarForce system are registered.
Technical criticism
StarForce has come under criticism because it installs a number of its own device drivers on the computer . Many users documented cases in which the StarForce drivers caused system instability and crashes. The installed driver should lose DMA data packets during the CD check. This causes Windows to reduce the read / write speed of the optical drives and to retry the read attempt. In extreme cases, the speed should then be reduced to the speed of the 16-bit compatibility mode, with which many modern drives are incompatible.
StarForce drivers are not WHQL certified up to version 4.0 , which can indicate that the previous versions have known bugs and incompatibilities.
StarForce always reduces the performance of the systems on which it is used, as it is loaded as a system driver with the operating system when the computer is started and consequently uses main memory and CPU capacities, even if the game to be protected is not running at all. With current StarForce versions, this reduction in performance remains active even if the corresponding game has been completely uninstalled, as the StarForce drivers still remain installed and active.
In addition, it is criticized that the driver can only be installed in administrator mode and that ring 0 privileges must be granted to it.
Incompatibilities with other copy protection measures (such as SecuROM ) have also been reported.
A current problem is that software equipped with older versions of StarForce cannot run on systems with 64-bit Windows because the StarForce device driver was programmed for use on 32-bit systems; therefore the operating system refuses to install in this case. Even if the StarForce developer has provided a 64-bit driver, it is not possible to use this with the originally distributed software with a 32-bit driver. A patch from the manufacturer of the protected software is therefore also necessary, and so far only a few manufacturers have made such a patch available. StarForce-protected software that works on 64-bit Windows can be identified by the presence of an .x64 file in the software's installation directory.
Using StarForce-protected games under the Linux operating system with the Windows-compatible Wine runtime environment is simply impossible without separate intervention.
Another disadvantage of StarForce is that when the copy protection driver is installed, the access rights are set so that users without administrator rights can change the driver configuration. This also enables users declared as users to execute their own code at the driver level, which represents a serious security risk.
Supporters of StarForce counter that all the stability problems presented were exaggerated and have been corrected in newer versions of the copy protection. In addition, the Moscow company that developed StarForce launched a competition in which the participants travel to Moscow at their own expense and use the company's own test computers to reconstruct the damage to drives caused by StarForce. Had they succeeded, they could have won travel reimbursement on the one hand and an additional $ 10,000 on the other. The StarForce developer sees the very low participation, which realistically is more likely due to the very poor conditions, as confirmation of the stability of their system.
In 2006, the American Christopher Spence filed a class action lawsuit against Ubisoft, alleging that a StarForce game distributed by Ubisoft damaged his PC.
Moral criticism
Many complain that the use of copy protection mechanisms such as StarForce violates certain end-user rights, such as the right to make backup copies for private use. In this context, it is often criticized that honest buyers of the original have more problems and waiting times than users of cracked versions.
Furthermore, detailed problem descriptions, critical suggestions and also questions about copy protection in the official StarForce help forums and some Ubisoft forums have been and are being deleted without comment, threads edited and censored. Users were banned without warning. Moderators of Ubisoft forums have been dismissed due to their critical position on StarForce (Soulcommander, 13thHouR). Many well-known authors have been intimidated by StarForce because of their critical articles with legal consequences and threats. Including Cory Doctorow from Boing Boing and Aaron McKenna from tomshardware.com .
On March 5, 2006 , a StarForce employee linked a forum to an illegal download source for the recently released game Galactic Civilizations 2 by Stardock . The example should serve as proof of the need for copy protection. StarForce later issued an apology.
StarForce employees have demonstrably changed the entry for their product in the English Wikipedia several times in their favor.
Versions
Ubisoft , Digital Jesters, and Codemasters have previously been known to use StarForce on newly released software. However, Ubisoft refrains from using it in the future, partly because of the major protests. StarForce claims to have drastically reduced the piracy of computer games. Nonetheless, the use of this system caused a negative reaction from many users.
The currently known versions of StarForce are:
StarForce Pro 3
Requires a so-called CD key, which must be entered when the game is installed. This key is the same for all copies of the game as it encrypts the nature of the protection scheme on the master medium. As a result, most games still use a traditional CD key, just as they do for online gaming. (Examples: TrackMania , Chaos League , Etherlords 2 , GT Legends )
StarForce Keyless
No CD key has to be entered here. Nevertheless, the key exists internally: it is stored in one of the TOC fields of the medium. (Examples: TrackMania Sunrise , Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich )
StarForce Pro 3.7
For the first time, it also supports 64-bit systems. (Example: Chaos League: Sudden Death )
StarForce / Frontline 4.0
New features on the official StarForce homepage were the automatic deinstallation of the driver, full 64-bit support and protection from DAEMON Tools 4.0. This version was the first to pass the Designed for Windows XP compatibility test .
StarForce FrontLine 5.0
- The driver of the protection system passes the Windows Logo test for Windows Vista
- New graphical user interface of the protection system
- Protection of DOC and RTF files
- “Trial mode” has been significantly improved
- Support of PDB files in protection
StarForce FrontLine 5.5
- Completely new Protection Studio 2.0, which shortens the implementation and configuration time for copy protection.
- Complete support for 64-bit programs.
- No restart necessary after installing or uninstalling the copy protection.
- New graphical user interface that simplifies frequently performed tasks.
Compatibility with Windows 7 and 8
Earlier versions of copy protection are not compatible with Windows 7 or 8. After a driver update by StarForce, the copy protection version 3.07.018 and higher is compatible with Windows 7. From version 4.5 the copy protection is also compatible with Windows 8.
Workarounds
Despite the general efforts of the Cracker community, it is not yet possible to bypass StarForce copy protection in a simple way, as is the case with other copy protection mechanisms. Most of the programs protected by StarForce now have cracks, but it took much longer until they were available. One of the top games of 2005, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, stayed uncracked for more than 400 days, despite the fact that many well-known cracker communities around the world tried to get it. The methods that are used to bypass the protection are different for each program (game), which means that there is always considerable effort for each new software protected by StarForce. Meanwhile, the duration of a crack for a game protected with StarForce is only a few hours to days.
Another possibility is to simply adopt the StarForce copy protection. Since the original CD / DVD is copied 1: 1, the software is no longer able to differentiate between the original and the copied data carrier. With this type of copying, the corresponding burning program must be adapted to the copy protection and correspondingly compatible blanks must be searched for, since the copy must perfectly resemble the original so that StarForce does not notice the copy. The use of purely physical features to identify the original data carrier is the greatest hurdle.
In older versions of StarForce, the mechanism could also be easily circumvented by deactivating all optical IDE drives on the software side, after which StarForce-emulated SCSI drives could no longer be distinguished from real drives by programs such as Daemon Tools .
See also
Web links
- StarForce (English) - developer site
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.star-force.com/ ( Memento from August 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ StarForce becomes the Technology partner of Microsoft Corporation and Solution Partner of the new product family (English) - Press release from StarForce Technologies , October 8, 2007; Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ↑ https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Gegenwind-fuer-Kopiersperre-StarForce-116241.html
- ↑ Starforce: A disrespectful copy protection - When companies see their customers as enemies
- ↑ StarForce threatens to sue me for criticizing its products
- ↑ StarForce employee posts download link
- ↑ Copy protection follow-up
- ↑ StarForce at CEBIT! ( Memento of the original dated December 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ StarForce drivers pass "Designed for Windows XP" test ( Memento of the original from December 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (c) Ubisoft
