Massassi Forums Logo

This is the static archive of the Massassi Forums. The forums are closed indefinitely. Thanks for all the memories!

You can also download Super Old Archived Message Boards from when Massassi first started.

"View" counts are as of the day the forums were archived, and will no longer increase.

☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → World of Warcraft Spyware
12
World of Warcraft Spyware
2005-10-11, 7:15 PM #1
http://www.rootkit.com/blog.php?newsid=358

Just a heads up to those of you that play it...
2005-10-11, 7:19 PM #2
I lost any respect that I had for blizzard for that. If Roper were still there, I'd have a bit left, but not. Go to hell blizzard, go to hell and die.
D E A T H
2005-10-11, 7:20 PM #3
As the guy said in the comments, I'm gonna try putting "WoW!Inmate" in my MSN name... this might turn out to be fun.
SpamBlogger
"u r dumb, stop or ill sue u
- jak thomsun

p.s. ur gay" - Victor Van Dort

New disclaimer - Any brain damage suffered as a result of typographical errors is the reader's liability.
2005-10-11, 7:34 PM #4
Is there a way to restrict this program's net access with a firewall? If so, then the problem is solved. It can sniff all it wants, but if it can't send anything back, it is more or less useless.

Of course, the best option would be to remove it, but blizzard might release a patch that makes it so this program has to be installed for WOW to run.
2005-10-11, 7:40 PM #5
Why don't you rename this topic to contain "WoW!Inmate"?
>_>
SpamBlogger
"u r dumb, stop or ill sue u
- jak thomsun

p.s. ur gay" - Victor Van Dort

New disclaimer - Any brain damage suffered as a result of typographical errors is the reader's liability.
2005-10-11, 7:55 PM #6
Originally posted by Pagewizard_YKS:
Is there a way to restrict this program's net access with a firewall? If so, then the problem is solved. It can sniff all it wants, but if it can't send anything back, it is more or less useless.

Of course, the best option would be to remove it, but blizzard might release a patch that makes it so this program has to be installed for WOW to run.


Unless, of course, WoW refuses to run if it doesn't receive data from the warden program.
2005-10-11, 8:10 PM #7
what is WoW!Inmate?
The Gas Station
2005-10-11, 8:16 PM #8
I knew about this before people even started playing WoW... I thought this was already known and discussed during WoW's release? I know I and my friends discussed it... and I thought bliz had done something specific to make it less intrusive? Am I just making all of this up, because it seems really apparent to me... am I confusing this with something else?

JediKirby
ᵗʰᵉᵇˢᵍ๒ᵍᵐᵃᶥᶫ∙ᶜᵒᵐ
ᴸᶥᵛᵉ ᴼᵑ ᴬᵈᵃᵐ
2005-10-11, 8:21 PM #9
Well, there was this one time Blizzard tried to add something to Diablo 2 in a patch that was somewhat spyware or something....but I think everyone through a fit and it got removed...? I'm not sure.
2005-10-11, 8:25 PM #10
That could be it, I don't know. This just seems really familiar to me...
ᵗʰᵉᵇˢᵍ๒ᵍᵐᵃᶥᶫ∙ᶜᵒᵐ
ᴸᶥᵛᵉ ᴼᵑ ᴬᵈᵃᵐ
2005-10-12, 3:48 AM #11
I don't know why it's such a big deal. *do* you want hackers running around in your game?

Blizzard announced this THEMSELVES.
"Jayne, this is something the Captain has to do for himself"

"N-No it's not!"

"Oh."
2005-10-12, 3:56 AM #12
Originally posted by Grant:
what is WoW!Inmate?

I've never ever played WoW, but I guess it's a trainer or something.

I don't see this as a big deal. If you're not cheating, you don't have any problems. If you're using whatever this thing is looking for, you get caught. *shrugs*
2005-10-12, 3:58 AM #13
I'd also like to hear the other side of the story. Maybe from someone reputable.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2005-10-12, 5:00 AM #14
yeah i'm with yoshi, i really hope they all die.
2005-10-12, 5:08 AM #15
So who wants to try and get test-banned? :P:P:P:P
2005-10-12, 5:49 AM #16
Well, if somebody is ready to pay hard currency each month to be able to play the game, I suppose they might very well be also ready to let Blizzard snoop into their computer system and stuff...
Frozen in the past by ICARUS
2005-10-12, 5:59 AM #17
Not very many people pay "hard currency" to play subscription based games.

Most of us use e-currency. Courtesy of the fantastic plastic.
2005-10-12, 6:11 AM #18
Originally posted by Rob:
Not very many people pay "hard currency" to play subscription based games.

Most of us use e-currency. Courtesy of the fantastic plastic.


Right... I thought those two were quite interconvertible. I just tried to emphasize the fact you use money each month, thus kind of proving your dedication. Perhaps it was a poor choice of words.
Frozen in the past by ICARUS
2005-10-12, 6:17 AM #19
I was just joking around. :P
2005-10-12, 6:18 AM #20
Quote:
I knew about this before people even started playing WoW... I thought this was already known and discussed during WoW's release?


You're correct in that people have known about this for quite some time, but it's really the first time someone has covered exactly what the "spyware" does, in depth.
2005-10-12, 7:07 AM #21
Wow, this has to be in the new Diablo II patch, Blizzard has banned 400,000 accounts with the use of EasyMap programs, and they've cracked MapHack to.
2005-10-12, 9:31 AM #22
Originally posted by Grant:
what is WoW!Inmate?


Sounds like a WoW hacking program.

This silly warden thing checks Window Titles? How lame. The Win32 API can easily be used by any half-competant programmer to change the title of any window, rendering that piece invalid.

Reading process exectuable data is a different matter. Don't think there's much way around that, except modifying the machine code (wouldn't be hard for anyone who knows a little assembly) to change the hash the warden generates.

All in all, can be circumvented by those who are determined to, a security and privacy risk to the innocent. Nothing new, really.

2005-10-12, 11:22 AM #23
They are doing what any virus-scanner does, too.

And apart from that, I thought it was common knowledge that Blizzard is evil.
Sorry for the lousy German
2005-10-12, 11:45 AM #24
Nowhere in the article does it meantion that the information (and what important info, too) is being uploaded and sent anywhere. How is it a violation of your privacy if no information leaves your computer, and none of it is actually stored beyond checking it to see if it's a possible hacking program? This isn't spyware, at all. Spyware is used by evil corporations or hackers used to gather data from unknowing computer users. What WoW is doing is just a simple check to stop amateurs from hacking the game.

Get over it.
2005-10-12, 12:34 PM #25
[QUOTE=Vincent Valentine] What WoW is doing is just a simple check to stop amateurs from hacking the game.
[/QUOTE]

You're putting far too much trust into the company. And the article says more than just a "simple check."
2005-10-12, 12:45 PM #26
[QUOTE=Vincent Valentine]Nowhere in the article does it meantion that the information (and what important info, too) is being uploaded and sent anywhere. How is it a violation of your privacy if no information leaves your computer, and none of it is actually stored beyond checking it to see if it's a possible hacking program? This isn't spyware, at all. Spyware is used by evil corporations or hackers used to gather data from unknowing computer users. What WoW is doing is just a simple check to stop amateurs from hacking the game.

Get over it.[/QUOTE]
How can you say that they aren't spyware when their programs are reading your other windows and your MEMORY ?? "spying" doesn't imply "stealing" - it implies looking at informatoin they shouldn't be looking at.
2005-10-12, 12:59 PM #27
Originally posted by Brian:
How can you say that they aren't spyware when their programs are reading your other windows and your MEMORY ?? "spying" doesn't imply "stealing" - it implies looking at informatoin they shouldn't be looking at.
Because the data isn't being sent anywhere.

It's more like a virus.
2005-10-12, 1:01 PM #28
Doesn't data have to be sent if they're going to ban you...?
2005-10-12, 1:03 PM #29
No.. they could be comparing window titles and running processes to a local list of bannable titles and processes. That would all be done locally on your own machine.
"it is time to get a credit card to complete my financial independance" — Tibby, Aug. 2009
2005-10-12, 1:28 PM #30
But there's nothing saying that all of the information it finds is actually sent to blizzard. It could do all those scans, but then only send a simple "ban" or "no ban" to blizzard, in which case there's nothing to worry about for the innocent players. (There's nothing to worry about anyway, though. It's not like blizzard is going to steal your credit card number or anything.)

[Edit: what free said]
Moo.
2005-10-12, 1:31 PM #31
But I gather from all the news that noone KNEW THIS WAS TAKING PLACE. It's one thing for Blizzard to say "while you run WoW it will check your running processes for hacks and if it finds them, it will ban you" and another thing to NOT TELL YOU AT ALL.

2005-10-12, 1:34 PM #32
[QUOTE=The Mega-ZZTer]But I gather from all the news that noone KNEW THIS WAS TAKING PLACE. It's one thing for Blizzard to say "while you run WoW it will check your running processes for hacks and if it finds them, it will ban you" and another thing to NOT TELL YOU AT ALL.[/QUOTE]

They did say. Several times.

In fact, I think the thread about it is still stickied. Please make sure you have correct information before making judgements.
"Jayne, this is something the Captain has to do for himself"

"N-No it's not!"

"Oh."
2005-10-12, 1:50 PM #33
It's in the frickin EULA. You can't say they don't "have the right" if you gave them permission.
2005-10-12, 1:52 PM #34
What window titles could possibly... er.. "embarrass" us? I can see it now:

Some computer guy, mid-forties, sits at a computer in the Blizzard offices, reading data from the screen.

[SCENE]
Guy: Hehehe! Somebody's running Microsoft Word! And the document's name is "Document1"! Somebody better tell someone about that!
[/SCENE]

Or, even worse:

[SCENE]
Guy: OOOOHHH, somebody's running Quicktime! I'll bet they're watching prOn! Somebody better tell someone about that!
[/SCENE]

Come on, people. What's the big deal? Unless all your proprietary documents are in the form of window titles, there's nothing to worry about.

If you're still not convinced, just close your other progs while playing WoW. Simple.
"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."
2005-10-12, 2:01 PM #35
Whats the big deal? Ok, your on the couch with your gf, "having a good time" while watching a movie, so a dude is peaking in your window to "see" if the movie isn't a "pirate" copy... you do the math.

My deduction.
Nothing to see here, move along.
2005-10-12, 2:05 PM #36
Originally posted by SF_GoldG_01:
Whats the big deal? Ok, your on the couch with your gf, "having a good time" while watching a movie, so a dude is peaking in your window to "see" if the movie isn't a "pirate" copy... you do the math.
I don't understand. I'm not good at math.
2005-10-12, 2:06 PM #37
Quote:
Once these strings are obtained, they are passed through a hashing function and compared against a list of 'banning hashes' - if you match something in their list, I suspect you will get banned.
That's where the privacy complaints fall apart. Your window titles never leave your computer except as an apparently random jumble of alphanumeric characters in a string of an arbitrary length, if they are transmitted at all.
2005-10-12, 2:15 PM #38
I really don't think privacy is gonna be the real issue. Hash collisions are a possibility here, due to the sheer number of programs anyone could be running in the background it's plausable that people will be banned for running a program which generates the same hash as a hacking program. And if they keep adding more and more hashes to the "banned" list it becomes more probable people will be banned for no reason. Because of this, anyone could claim they were banned unfairly due to a hash collision. How will blizzard know who to believe?
TheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWho
SaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTh
eJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSa
ysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJ
kWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSays
NiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkWhoSaysNiTheJkW
2005-10-12, 2:19 PM #39
Originally posted by SF_GoldG_01:
Whats the big deal? Ok, your on the couch with your gf, "having a good time" while watching a movie, so a dude is peaking in your window to "see" if the movie isn't a "pirate" copy... you do the math.


You have to do the english, first.
ᵗʰᵉᵇˢᵍ๒ᵍᵐᵃᶥᶫ∙ᶜᵒᵐ
ᴸᶥᵛᵉ ᴼᵑ ᴬᵈᵃᵐ
2005-10-12, 2:20 PM #40
Interesting. It seems that Blizzard may have painted itself into a corner. :)
"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."
12

↑ Up to the top!