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View Full Version : [b]Rootkit Warning - StarForce Can Fuck Up Your Computer[/b]



Hardrock69
04-05-2006, 02:00 AM
It is a copy-protection scheme that can mess up your computer, and it might be on your machine and you would never know it.

I installed the demo for King Kong about 5 months ago, and removed the game. I just found this evening that the StarForce Rootkit was still on my machine, and I have had issues with my DVD drive as of late, which is one of the symptoms of this.


STARFORCE FAQ:

Starforce has received criticism for installing its own device driver onto computers. The Starforce drivers are often linked to system instability and computer crashes. If these problems occur, the end-user would be unware as to the cause of the problem, and would be helpless to solve the problem.

For example, here's one of the common problems brought by Starforce: under Windows XP, if packets are lost during the reading or writing of a disk, XP interprets this as an error and steps the IDE speed down. Eventually it will revert to 16bit compatibility mode rendering a CD/DVD writer virtually unusable. In some circumstances certain drives cannot cope with this mode and it results in physical hardware failure (Most commonly in multiformat CD/DVD writer drives). A sure sign of this step down occurring is that the burn speeds will get slower and slower (no matter what speed you select to burn at). Starforce, on a regular basis, triggers this silent step down. Until it reaches the latter stages most people do not even realise it is happening.


http://www.glop.org/starforce/



Here is a list of Games and Software that use this fucked up software:

http://www.glop.org/starforce/list.php

* 7 Sins
* American Conquest: Divided Nation
* Ankh
* Anstoss 4
* Bandits: Phoenix Rising
* Bet on Soldier
* Beyond Divinity
* Black Mirror
* Blitzkrieg 2
* Blitzkrieg: Rolling Thunder
* Breed
* Brian Lara International Cricket 2005
* Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon
* Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
* Castle Strike
* Chaos League
* Chaos League: Sudden Death
* Codename: Outbreak
* Codename: Panzers - Phase One
* Codename: Panzers - Phase Two
* Cold War
* Colin McRae Rally 2005
* Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars
* Crazy Frog Racer
* Cross Racing Championship 2005
* Curse: The Eye of Isis
* Cycling Manager 3
* Cycling Manager 4
* D-Day
* Dead to Rights
* Demonic Speedway
* Desert Rats vs Afrika Korps
* Domination
* Emergency Fire Response
* Enigma: Rising Tide
* Etherlords II
* Fire Chief
* Fire Department
* Freedom Force vs The Third Reich
* Gangland
* Garfield
* Gooka: The Mystery of Janatris
* GT Legends
* GTR: FIA GT Racing Game
* Hammer & Sickle
* Heroes of Might and Magic V
* Horse Race Manager
* I-Ninja
* Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter
* Keepsake
* Kicker Manager 2004
* Kill Switch
* King Kong
* Knights of the Temple 2

* Korea: Forgotten Conflict
* L.A. Rush
* LMA Professional Manager 2005
* Lock On: Flaming Cliffs
* Medieval Lords
* Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition
* Namco Museum 50th Anniversary
* Neuro Hunter
* Nibiru
* Obscure
* Pac Man World 2
* Pac Man World 3
* Pariah
* Pax Romana
* Perimeter
* Perimeter: Emperor's Testament
* Pferdehof - Pferd und Pony
* Pop Star Academy
* Postal 2: Apocalypse Weekend
* Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
* Pro Rugby Manager
* Psi-Ops
* Pure Pinball
* Rally Championship Xtreme
* Restaurant Empire
* Restricted Area
* Revolution
* Ricky Ponting International Cricket 2005
* Runaway: A Road Adventure
* Scrapland
* Second Sight
* Silent Hunter 3
* Silent Storm
* Silkolene Honda Motocross GP
* Singles 2: Triple Trouble
* Singles: Flirt Up Your Life
* Sniper Elite
* Soldiers Heroes of World War 2
* Sommerspiele 2004
* Space Rangers 2
* SpellForce 2
* Splinter Cell 3: Chaos Theory
* Star Wolves
* Steel Saviour
* Still Life
* Street Racing Syndicate
* Sudeki
* SuperPower 2
* Syberia II
* The Fall: Last Days of Gaia
* The Moment of Silence
* The Stalin Subway
* The Suffering: Ties That Bind
* The Westerner
* TOCA Race Driver 2 : The Ultimate Racing Simulator
* TOCA Race Driver 3
* Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six : Lockdown
* TrackMania
* TrackMania : Power Up !
* TrackMania Nations
* TrackMania Original
* TrackMania Sunrise
* TrackMania Sunrise eXtreme
* Traitors Gate 2: Cypher
* Ubersoldier
* UFO: Aftershock
* Universal Combat: A World Apart
* Universal Combat Gold
* V8 Supercars 2
* V8 Supercars 3
* Virtual Skipper 3
* Virtual Skipper 4
* Vivisector
* Wildlife Park
* Wintersport Pro 2006
* World Racing 2
* World War II: Frontline Command
* Worms 4: Mayhem
* X3: Reunion
* XIII
* Xpand Rally
* Xuan-Yuan Sword 4

Note: work in progress, this list is not comprehensive.


Released Starforced software

Starforce is hitting the software market. Avoid getting one of those if you like to be able to do some backup of your legally bought software

* Super Architect 3D Platinum

Un-Starforced games

The games listed below do not have Starforce included anymore. The editor of the game released an official patch to remove the Starforce protection, and thus fixed all the problems related to Starforce. Thanks to your support everywhere ! Keep spreading the word !

* Area 51
* X2: The Threat



Here is how to detect it:

http://www.glop.org/starforce/detect.php


Here is how to remove it:

http://www.glop.org/starforce/remove.php

guwapo_rocker
04-05-2006, 06:35 AM
Thanks for the info.

bueno bob
04-05-2006, 10:15 AM
I don't play games on my computer...I use the XBOX for that...

Good info to have available, though, for sure...