What is Securom?

SecuROM is a  SONY DADC branch, that has the job of copy protection. Basically is a DRM (Digital Rights Management) which mission is to restrict or eliminate the ability to copy or share your files. Most of you readers have already opened an MP3. or an ¡Tunes file that requires license.

Securom is somewhat a Starforce clone, but they have learned from them and the Ubisoft court case. They use Stealth techniques & rootkit behaviour with the solely intention of not being detected by the Average Joe user. Most game manufacturers with the exception of Stardock use some form of copy protection in their games. Ea has its own Securom servers and its world biggest customer by the way..

Copy protection has become more extensive in the last few years. Most older forms of copy protection used a simple disk check to establish that there was a disk in the computer that was running the game. This happened until Securom V5. Later they decided to step further, then the end-users aka the customers and clients started to feel the pain of the publisher´s greed and "ignorance".

Securom V7 came with some little friends:

a) The antidebugging tool, which is the one that doesn´t run the application if finds Microsoft program Process Explorer. You will get the "A security module could not be activated, this program cannot be run".

As an example of their stubborn behaviour, you must REBOOT your computer for not getting this message. Securom is so stubborn. Read the "Process Explorer Harassment" in this board, for more info

b) Antiemulator blacklister, since Securom can´t tell if the drive is emulated or not, they decided to Blacklist all SCSI hardware, since IDE emulation doesn´t exist (or isn´t cheap)
 

You guess what happened with those "friends", you guess it, incompatibility, and end-user annoyance.

In terms of my favourite game NWN 2, Securom did this:

1) Wasn´t able to play in more than a month "Insert original disk" along some other things....
2) Securom screw up at version 1.06 so Obsidian got ton of work releasing a Hotfix.

In terms of the Sims 2 games:
1) Dial up in the middle of your game. Why? Sims 2 is NOT an online game


2)Emulation software detected in the famous FT patch and EA store.

The list goes on.

2K had the brilliant idea to add activation limits in their Bioshock game, as the R-force points out they use open SSL connections http://www.r-force.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=741.

This openssl is used in both the Sims 2, Bioshock and Mass Effect. This connection is secure and it encrypts the data it sends to Sony so no-one is able to read the information Securom is sending home. This transmission is of great concern because the Securom website states clearly that Securom can be used to collect marketing data from customers. Sony does not have a blameless history with regards to this issue, and was also accused of collecting customer’s personal details during the Sony CD copy protection scandal. If they are sending personal data back via these transmissions, it is likely a breach of the law in many countries.

Some points:

1)Remember the XCP scandal? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Sony_BMG_CD_copy_protection_scandal. It was called a rootkit

2)google OpenSSl, it seems is not as secure as it must be.

For more info read my Securom Technical FAQ, to have an idea of the many different troubles you may encounter.

More techie details and discussions at R-force:

http://www.r-force.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=489

The best DRM thread in Bioware forums

http://nwn2forums.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=634077&forum=109&sp=105

Happy gaming
Sblade

Credits to 13thHouR

Nature of Securom:

Securom has triggers that can be updated on demand and they even vary from country to country, to avoid research and decoy themlselves, this is why the Securom FAQ is so long, because there is no quick way to deal with it, it depends on the triggers that are activated and the level of tolerance for that game/country/version (YES,YES, YOU ARE THINKING RIGHT, IT IS NEVER THE SAME!

Some triggers are:
1. Anti debugging tools ( you´ll get the "a required security module could not be activated, this program cannot be run") ALWAYS ON
2. Emulation (You´ll get the message "emulation found") Runs in RING0 highest privilege. It is switched ON/OFF frequently, when Securom sends an specific exe to a single user, usally does this
3. Online Activation MINICOM driver, used in BIOSHOCK, it gathers data from your computer and sends it to the servers so when you modify your hardware you will lose your current activation.

The Openssl I spoke in my what´s Securom? thread.

More Nature of Securom: Encryption levels

I´ve been at the Devil´s cave, it was full of beholders and drows but I manage to get the data and come back   


Here it is:

http://www.securom.com/SecuROM_PC_Technical_Facts.pdf

I want readers to avoid the brainwashing stuff and go to page 2 Encryption levels.



• SecuROMTM Automatic Encryption
The Automatic Encryption level is implemented with a single mouse click. The encryption is completed within
minutes without the need to involve your programmers. Easy to implement but extremely strong, the Automatic
Encryption Level has achieved greater than two month crack-free windows on recent, high profile PC game titles.

• SecuROMTM Customized Encryption Level
GUI based encryption settings allow you to customize the protection.


• SecuROMTM Advanced Encryption Level
Our new API links SecuROMTM to your game code for the strongest defense against sophisticated cracks and
reverse engineering. Implementation only takes half a day, but requires programming knowledge and access to the
software code (works with C or C++). Only available for publishers who have access to the SecuROMTM OETK (Online Encrypted ToolKit.


The last one is the one who causes trouble, since the programming of Securom itself is not polished, when we add the own risks of programming with this encryption level we meet the disasters that happened in NWN 2 V.1.06 and more...

I think Bioware used the Automatic Encryption in Jade Empire SE, so that would explain why I could play JE without trouble meanwhile playing NWN 2 with "workarounds".

That said if you are determined to continue using this Starforce in new clothing, Use the automatic Encryption to ensure maximum compatibility and less user annoyance.

Also note this

http://www.securom.com/solution_market.asp

"Publishers can give consumers the flexibility to use virtual drives rather than requiring the physical disc to be in the drive"

You can choose to disable the anti emulator, blacklister, one of the main causes that directly or indirectly annoys customers.

There are 100 hundred tools in the web that disable the blacklister and updated frequently, so what´s the point of this?


End of line

                  In the first i don't really understant what is Securom. Thanks for sharing the nature of Securom.



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Indianapolis web design

Hi and welcome richmond, well hopefully blades info will help you understand securom a little better now, read and enjoy

lov kazz  blades