StarForce has been checked. No root-kits found

[Drebbel]

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/12970

and

http://www.star-force.com/protection.phtml?c=83&id=766

StarForce has been checked. No root-kits found
Posted by Dan Bell on 19 January 2006 - 04:00 - Source: StarForce

Since the Sony rootkit fiasco, there have been rumors a flyin' that this software protection software uses rootkits as well. Therefore, to squelch the ignorance, the StarForce folks have had their wares independantly tested and given a clean bill of health. No malware. Well, actually a "well-known online magazine" asked Mark Russinovich, the guy that blew the whistle on Sony to take a peek and “check-out� StarForce for root-kits or any other malwares. He ought to know!

Independent tests showed that StarForce copy protection contains no malware.

The international IT community will not quickly forget the incident with Sony BMG at the end of 2005. The root-kits discovered in music CDs’ copy protection forced Sony to call back millions of discs and suffer serious losses.

Mark Russinovich was the main character of the story. It was him who one day discovered the root-kits and woke up famous the next morning.

Soon after the story with Sony calmed down a well-known online magazine asked Mark to “check-out� StarForce for root-kits or any other malwares.

After detailed examination of copy-protection installed by StarForce Mark came to the conclusion that StarForce protection contains zero root-kits or malwares. While the fact that StarForce drivers have to be sometimes uninstalled separately from the protected application is a bit annoying, it is not the StarForce’s responsibility, but the developer’s.

This conclusion together with the online contest again show that accusations about StarForce protection damaging PCs or operation systems have absolutely no ground.

StarForce Technologies

On the other net rumor and resulting challenge from the protection company from Russia: Win a free trip to Moscow if you can be the first to show your rig was hosed by StarForce! There are also a lot of claims concerning DVD/CD writers malfunctioning after installation and start-up of StarForce protected applications. Prove your case to StarForce and you can take home $5000.00 plus expenses. So far, not one application has been filed at the StarForce web contest hangout, even after 43.000 views, so they upped the ante from 1000 dollars to 5000! Kinda funny that they started at $1000.00 and now they are thinking, "Hell, maybe it really doesn't screw over a PC! Let's raise the prize money!".

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Be sure to read Soulcommander his comments elsewhere in this thread. He has "proof" this news is fake. I have no idea if that is true or not , but why should he be lying ? Just read his message and make up your own mind.

[Konovalov]

Even though I am no fan of Starforce I didn't find this rumour circulating to be very credible.

[Seeadler]

Anyway my new PC is now a StarForce-free zone and it will remain one also in the future

[SUBMAN1]

As well as my PC will remain Starforce free.

-S

[Drebbel]

I love SF, enables me to play SHIII

[jumpy]

I love SF...

Blasphemer! Burn the heretic!

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by Drebbel

I love SF, enables me to play SHIII

Terrible! SHIII sucks in that it has SF!!!. I look at it lately and almost install it every now and then, but it still sits on my desk because of the dreaded SF!!!

-S

[fargel]

It's going to be an up hill battle for Starforce. From my point of view, the customer decides if SF is good or not for them, not the maker of the program. The SF team can keep bringing reports saying "there's nothing wrong with it," but the damage is already done, and that is by the boycott SF groups. Hell, there are so many boycott SF on the web, I wonder why there is this movement in the first place? There must have been a problem which got alot of people concerned about.

I am still not going to buy SF copy products. No matter what the maker or independent groups say how good SF is.

[Bluewings]

From SF :

This conclusion together with the online contest again show that accusations about StarForce protection damaging PCs or operation systems have absolutely no ground.

BULLSH*T ALERT !

Cheers .

[Wulfmann]

What would a women think on her first date if he said “Trust me, I’m a guy!�

What would an African say to someone asking him to come for a boat ride saying; “Trust me, I am a white man!�

What would a Jew say to someone saying “Trust me, I am German!�

What would a China man say to someone that said; “Trust me, I am Japanese!�

What would a PC gamer say to some that said “Trust me, I am Starforce!�

Past experience produces trust and in all the above some may not have a problem trusting any of them.

Would you?

Wulfmann

[Skybird]

Peter asks Pauls: "Are you a good or a bad man?"

Any doubts what Paul answered...?

Zero tolerance for SF. examinations are academical only. What too many people actually can see happening on their systems is what decides the issue.

[sik1977]

Originally Posted by Drebbel

I love SF, enables me to play SHIII

SHIII enables me to play SHIII, not starforce, and I play SHIII just fine without starforce, so no need for any starforce love there. Love is definetely there for the guys who wrote the wonderful code for SHIII and the guys in this community who continue to improve this wonderful product for us all.

[Wim Libaers]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Peter asks Pauls: "Are you a good or a bad man?"

Any doubts what Paul answered...?

Zero tolerance for SF. examinations are academical only. What too many people actually can see happening on their systems is what decides the issue.

Well, all they claim is that it doesn't contain a rootkit, which is one very specific kind of potentially harmful software (rootkits by themselves are harmless, the problem is that they make harmful software far more effective by hiding it from the user and many security scanners). They do not mention checking for any other kind of harmful component.

[U-214]

I love SF, enables me to play SHIII

As long as i don't use WinXP 64bit,correct? In that case,disables me from playing SHIII,doesn't it?

[Drebbel]

Originally Posted by U-214

As long as i don't use WinXP 64bit,correct? In that case,disables me from playing SHIII,doesn't it?

Yep, including many other operating systems. But that is clear descibed on the box. Same does not go for SF.