When news stories collide

[dianec42]

Hidden DRM code's legitimacy questioned - In the name of content protection, Sony music CDs are installing a nasty little "rootkit" that hides itself, intercepts system calls, and can render a PC unusable if you try to remove it.

Warcraft game maker in spying row - WoW installs a program that keeps an eye on you and makes sure you're not using third-party "cheat" programs. (It's unclear what the "row" is here, considering nobody actually seems to be unhappy with the situation, including most players.)

So of course some clever people immediately put two and two together...

World of Warcraft hackers using Sony BMG rootkit to hide their cheating activities! Well, that was going to happen, wasn't it?

I predict, next up: Blizzard sues Sony, film at 11. (Time to play "Let's you and him fight"!)

Comments

[marmota.livejournal.com]

It's worth noting that the person who grumbled the loudest about "warden", and consequently wrote "Governor", is a major contributor to both rootkit.com and the wowsharp.net project that was among the things 'warden' was implemented to shut down. So, hoglund is an evil bastard with vested interests, not a concerned netizen being altruistically helpful.

I'm more than a bit concerned by it all, as I run WoW under fedora fc3 using transgaming's winex hack; blizzard's next move could very easily trash that, and like hell am I installing windows just to play games.

[dianec42.livejournal.com]

One of the unexpected benefits of being a Mac-head and a casual gamer is freedom from the dreaded "tyranny of choice" -- hardly anything comes out for the Mac, but what does is generally of excellent quality.

Hmm, maybe you could pick up an old G4 on the cheap? (-: