legal virus??

....well ok maybe not a virus as it ain't self replicating but mal-code :)
apparantly the leaked version of Postal 2 (video game) which is doing the rounds on the net atm had a hidden bios virus embeded in it which was put in place by the developers and then leaked to the net community at large. They hoped that by releasing it into the wild it would deter people from downloading their game as they would not know if the version they are downloading has been ripped by someone or is the leaked version featuring the virus.....

Now I do not know wether or not it is tru that the bios virus was indeed included by the developers but I do know that one not so legal release of the game does contain a bios virus.......btw i no way condone my friends actions but he did indeed download a copy and unluckily infected 3HD's - after a long night trying to recover files etc he managed to save 2 but lost the third for good oO So I know for certain that some ripped version of it does contain the virus....

My question is this do you think that this kind of protection...if it was indeed done by the developers is right? I can understand where they would be coming from but would it not be better to have some sort of dial-home device that reported the offenders inc ip etc to them whenever they went online? rather than what amounts to vigilante tactics.....

Its like a shop owner puttin razor blades in sweets that would be removed only at the checkout to deter shop lifters!

your views??

v_Ln

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My question is this do you think that this kind of protection...if it was indeed done by the developers is right? I can understand where they would be coming from but would it not be better to have some sort of dial-home device that reported the offenders inc ip etc to them whenever they went online? rather than what amounts to vigilante tactics....

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I dont think its right, if this is the case. I agree with you, a dial-home device is much more appropriate, then again downloading pirated software is risky business.

i don't think its right either, but a legal virus? i only see it being legal if you write it and don't use it on any other box except for yours. but why u would want a virus on your own box, i have no idea, other than to delete it.

If it were the developers, then I understand why they did what they did, but I don't like their means. I agree with framework that downloading pirated software is just asking for trouble, but I mean, geez, a virus (mal. code) , that's all we need in this world is more virii!!!! I'm sure they could have come up with a better protection then that. Now someone is going to take that mal. code, and make it into a self-replicating virus, and I hope that the developers (if they are guilty) download it themselves!

Here's my rant on the subject, if the developers are actually going ahead and releasing virus infected software:

That's nuts though, I mean you are talking about a $49.99 pirated game that could end up costing one person $1,000+ in hardware, plus who can put a cost on all the personal information that could be lost?

I think we all can agree, on a legal standpoint, that software piracy is wrong. Though if a company wants to catch people, and then catch people, don't turn around and "blow" their computers up.

The scary part of this is, what's next, whose next? Maybe companies will start hiring hackers to do little "odd jobs" for them. Like hacking into a P2P program like Kazaa, and putting in code that will shut your computer completely down, and burn out your hard drives, then fry your BIOS, while displaying on the screen obscene text?

Just scary to think what companies might actually be doing now to counter to piracy! Sure piracy keeps them from making all the money they could, but does it actually go through and destroy expensive hardware, or go and fire people to really cause trouble in their company? No, so what right do they have for coming back and pulling something like this? I think they should be liable!

hiya v_Ln...

[rant]
my opinion for what it's worth (which is probably not a lot) is that such behaviour is unethical and bang out of order. If it's illegal for everyone else to distribute viruses then it's illegal for a manufacturer to include one with their game code. The law has to apply to everyone (including those who make the law) or it's no law at all. You cannot have a society that has one law for one group of people and one for another group.

I can understand where the game developers are coming from and I do sympathise to an extent but this is not the way to do to stop piracy.
[/rant]

well as I say my tuppence worth

Z

Well.. The RIAA has yet to be stopped.

They produce(d) cds that would completely crash certain computers running MAC and didn't even bother to put a label on them knowing that it would happen....

It's clearly illegal to release a virus, no matter what your excuse.
It's also concievable that they won't get punished unless someone
sues them, or the public lights a fire under unmotivated law
enforcement authorities.
:cool: