StarForce

StarForce is a software copy prevention mechanism developed by Protection Technology. Although Protection Technology claims that products protected with StarForce are difficult to reverse engineer, [cite web |url=http://www.star-force.com/press_room/news/index.php?news=1997&phrase_id=28896 |title=StarForce copy protection to support the x64 bit user community |accessdate=2008-03-28 |quote=StarForce protection utilizes a unique driver allowing it to thoroughly secure the game data, and to prevent the analysis of the application’s code. Using that driver, StarForce provides increased defense capabilities, blocking the hacker’s attempts to tamper with the game core by running it under a debugger. ] games using the protection scheme are often cracked.Fact|date=August 2008

StarForce product families

Currently known official versions of StarForce include:

;StarForce Pro 3:Requires a "disk key" to be entered when the software is installed. This key is the same for all copies of the game, as it encodes the nature of the protection scheme as present on the master; this disk key is different from -- and thus should not be mistaken with -- the serial number which games traditionally use for online gameplay. An option to store the key on the product disk was added in later revisions. [ [http://www.star-force.com/images/Image/schems/fl_disc1.jpgStarForce Keyless Protection] ] ;StarForce 3.5:Added support for 64-bit systems. [ [http://www.star-force.com/press_room/news/index.php?news=1997&phrase_id=28896 StarForce copy protection to support the x64 bit user community] ] StarForce-protected software that works on 64-bit Windows can be identified by the presence of a .x64 file in the software's install directory. Earlier versions would reboot the system or simply refuse to run the application on such systems.;StarForce FrontLine 4.0:Fully supports 64-bit applications.:Fully supports Windows Vista 32/64 bit.:The first version of StarForce to pass WHQL Testing and be "Certified for Microsoft Windows Vista" . ;StarForce FrontLine 4.7 [ [http://www.star-force.com/press_room/news/index.php?news=1824&phrase_id=28900 StarForce FrontLine 4.7 – new version of StarForce DRM system.] ] :Seems it is just an evolution of 4.0. No additional information available.;StarForce Frontline 5.0 cite web|url=http://www.star-force.com/press_room/news/index.php?news=1804&phrase_id=28902|title=StarForce FrontLine 5.0 – evolution in copy protection!|work=Official press release|date=2007-05-23|accessdate=2007-07-10] :Provides a user interface for driver removal:Allows for the deactivation and reactivation of online-authenticated applications;FrontLine ProActive [ [http://www.star-force.com/solutions/products/fl_proactive/ StarForce Frontline ProActive for web distributed applications] ] :Provides DRM + Protection solution for web distributed games and applications. Disc binding replaced by web activation. Protection Technology provides a driver update tool, [ [http://www.star-force.com/support/drivers/ Update/Remove driver ] ] but it does not widen compatibility for StarForce-protected games. For example, to add 64-bit support to a game built before StarForce supported it, a developer would be required to create patches specific to their product(s).

Protection levels

There are two confirmed "tiers" of StarForce protection:

; [http://www.star-force.com/solutions/products/fl_disc/ Basic] :"(...) It allows to protect the executable Windows file of the application and provide control of creation and distribution of licenses during the product’s lifetime."; [http://www.star-force.com/solutions/products/fl_disc/ Pro] :"(...) Pro ensures reliable protection of original data and code as well as control over creation and distribution of licenses during full life cycle of software products."

Some of the games known to use the Pro level of protection are "Bet on Soldier", "Pro Cycling Manager", "", "Toca Race Driver", "Trackmania Sunrise", and "Ubersoldier". [ [http://wiki.boycottstarforce.net/index.php/Game_list Game list - Boycott Starforce ] ]

StarForce 3.0 Reputation

StarForce 3.0 has a reputation of being difficult to reverse-engineer, [ [http://www.gameburnworld.com/protections_starforce.shtml StarForce Game Copy Protections- GameBurnWorld ] ] though StarForce 3.0 protected games are eventually cracked, or through other methods have their protection bypassed.Fact|date=May 2007 Cracks are sometimes released a couple of days after the official release of the game, but some games survive months or years before being compromised: "" held 422 days before being cracked (a process which also allowed the game to run on 64-bit processors unsupported by its version of StarForce). [http://www.nforce.nl/index.php?switchto=nfos&menu=quicknav&item=viewnfo&id=104992 NFOrce Entertainment ] ] Dead link|date=September 2008 Other games require manuals to apply cracks to, and after that step require supplemental cracks to prevent crashes, such as Colin McRae Rally 2005.cite web|url=http://m0001.gamecopyworld.com/games/pc_colin_mcrae_rally_2005.shtml|title=Colin McRae Rally 2005 - No-CD No-DVD Trainers & Game Fixes|work=GameCopyWorld|date=2004 to 2007|accessdate=2007-05-10]

In March 2006 a warez group known as "RELOADED" released a vast array of documentation about how StarForce 3 works. Alongside many technical details, it revealed how several resource-intensive procedures were implemented, such as virtual file system and functions protected with complex virtual machine. [http://www.glop.org/files/rld-sfrt.rar]

Driver installation

StarForce 3.0 has received criticismcite web| url=http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060131-6084.html| title=Is your game's copy protection system frying your machine? | author=Nate Anderson | publisher=Ars Technica] for installing its own device driver onto computers along with the protected product or when the protected product is first run, which is generally not uninstalled along with the softwareFact|date=February 2008 ("Peter Jackson's King Kong" being one exception). "Colin McRae: DIRT", however, both asks the player for permission to install the drivers and includes a help file with information on how to remove them. Though a removal utility can be downloaded, StarForce has yet to be advertised or provided to users anywhere within protected games .Fact|date=February 2008

Lite/driverless

StarForce 3.0 drivers are installed with certain older game demos, freeware and downloadable games, like TrackMania Nations. Their presence is intended to prevent crackers from using demo executables to help break retail executables (as the two will usually be quite similar), and can also help to prevent online cheating.Fact|date=July 2007 In response to criticism over this, Protection Technologies began offering a "Lite" version of StarForce which, instead of installing device drivers, asks for the original CD every three days. The lite version is also used in some StarForce-protected demos and downloadable games, minus the requests for discs or any connection requirement.

Clients

CDV, Ubisoft, Digital Jesters (now defunct), JoWooD, Egosoft, Codemasters, Eagle Dynamics, Midway Games, and Bohemia Interactive Studio have used StarForce 3.0 on some of their products.

However, Ubisoft and JoWooD announced in 2006 that the North American version of their games would no longer use StarForce, citing "problems with StarForce's software". [ [http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3149611 Ubisoft Dumps Starforce news from 1UP.com ] ] CDV also announced that they were dropping StarForce for all future games in May 2006 in favor of the TAGES copy prevention system, citing customer complaints. [ [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=9446 Gamasutra - CDV Drops StarForce, To Use TAGES For Game Protection ] ]

Community response

Some gamers have advocated boycotts of games or publishers known to use StarForce.cite web|title=Boycott StarForce website|url=http://www.glop.org/starforce/] These gamers claim that StarForce software causes system instability and crashes, and that Protection Technology refuses to address the damage their software causes.Ubisoft decided to investigate the extent of the StarForce boycott and ran a poll on their forums, the outcome of which was against the use of StarForce. [ [http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1949621,00.asp Ubisoft Drops StarForce DRM ] ] As a result (along with a lawsuit [http://eplaw.us/sf/UbisoftComplaint032406.pdf] and general discontent on the webcite web|title=Starforce software removed from TrackMania: United|url=http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?s=e4413f1c7f276127cbb67d3b41baa1bf&t=572864] cite web|title=Ubisoft Dumps Starforce (Note the heated commentary following the actual story)|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6147655.html] ), in "Heroes of Might and Magic V" and "GTR2", StarForce 3.0 was replaced by SecuROM.

Removal of StarForce drivers

Uninstalling a StarForce-protected game does not remove the StarForce driver from the system; it continues to run in the background. The StarForce SDK provides functions for implementors to remove the driver during uninstall of the game, but is not automatically carried out. An official utility program exists to remove the StarForce driver from the system. [cite web |url=http://www.onlinesecurity-on.com/protect.phtml?c=55 |title=StarForce Drivers Removal |accessdate=2008-04-03 |quote=StarForce ... has granted a sole right to distribute the StarForce Removal Tool utility to www.onlinesecurity-on.com. ] The program is hosted at a third-party website with a link on the official StarForce website. [cite web |url=http://www.star-force.com/support/drivers/ |title=Official driver removal page ] Instructions for manual removal have also been provided by the community. [cite web |url=http://www.glop.org/starforce/remove.php |title=How can I get rid of StarForce? |accessdate=2008-04-03 ]

Starting from StarForce 4.0 it includes a removal service. This service automatically uninstalls StarForce drivers after StarForce protected product is uninstalled. After the drivers are uninstalled, the service uninstalls itself as well.

Controversy

On January 1, 2006, Boing Boing, a popular weblog, alleged that StarForce was malware, citing several problems associated with the protection system, including disk drive performance degradation, weakening of operating system security and stability. [ [http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/30/anticopying_malware_.html Anti-copying malware installs itself with dozens of games - Boing Boing ] ] A day later on 2006-01-31 Boing Boing received an email from StarForce, threatening legal action and stating that the article was "full of insults, lies, false accusations and rumors". [ [http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/31/starforce_threatens_.html StarForce threatens to sue me for criticizing its products - Boing Boing ] ] CNET ran a similar story and received similar email. [ [http://news.com.com/5208-7349-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=11535&messageID=86618&start=-184 StarForce Response: reader comment from Dennis Zhidkov - CNET News.com ] ]

On March 5, 2006, a Protection Technology employee posted a link to a torrent search engine for the results of the search for "", a game developed by StarDock which does not use mandatory copy prevention, as a demonstration of what a lack of prevention can lead to. [cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3148721 |title=Starforce Backstabs Galactic Civilizations 2 |author=Garnett Lee |date=2006-03-11 |accessdate=2008-03-11 |publisher=1up.com] [http://www.galciv2.com/temp/starfo2.jpg] StarForce later issued an apology for this act after it received a great deal of attention on the Internet. [ [http://forums.galciv2.com/index.aspx?AID=107193 Copy protection follow-up - A Forum Post by Frogboy ] ]

See also

*SecuROM
*SafeDisc
*Extended Copy Protection ("XCP")

References

External links

* [http://www.star-force.com Official site]
* [http://www.onlinesecurity-on.com/protect.phtml?c=55 StarForce Drivers Removal Tool Location]