Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers
Kevin Poulsen, SecurityFocus 2004-03-18

A pair of coders nurturing a deep antipathy for software pirates set off a controversy Thursday when they went public with a months-old experiment to trick file sharers into running a Trojan horse program that chastises users and reports back to a central server.

Colapse all | Post comment

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Anonymous (3 replies)

"I think there's an awful lot of presumptions going on about who's downloading these files and for what reason," Schultz says -- an attorney or a journalists might download software in an investigation, for example. "Even if it's the case that the people who download this are trying to get illegal f...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-20
Anonymous

I have one of those sharing apps on one of my lab machines. It's great! Every time I search for and find some obscure chip or transistor datasheet I put it up for sharing. This has got to be the easiest form of web publishing ever - anywhere I am I can use the P2P to get my files, with no hosting...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-20
Anonymous

I am sorry, but you actuall seem to assume there are people out there LEGALLY using file-sharing programs like kazaa and stuff... I dont know any, every use it to steal music and software, so if you are on it, you are a pirate... good for these guys....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-21
Anonymous

Obviously they opened a can o worms when their mouths opened as now it appears their site is down.....hmmm im guess DOS attacks!! ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Fatman (1 replies)

This is as bad as other Spyware/Adware despite it's motives.

One presumes that before the 'Bad Pirate' warning message, some sort of license agreement is displayed? Does the user have to agree to this?

If not, the law is being broken and privacy invaded. No-one has any right to install softwar...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Penguinisto

"If not, the law is being broken and privacy invaded. No-one has any right to install software on someone else's PC unless they have agreed to the installation."

Err, isn't permission implied when the user willingly downloads, then clicks on the .exe file?

Besides, who would step forward and ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Anonymous

I find this prank to be in very bad taste. Not only does it waste users' time, waste tech support time, and waste their own time - but it also _supports_ the very thing they wish to end - illegal file sharing. By uploading the file onto the Gnutella network under the UT2K4 name, they increase the ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Good for them 2004-03-19
nosebreaker.com (1 replies)

I don't feel bad for the people who run this and get the popup message, just be thankful that is all it does! Unfortunatly someone else will probably edit it so that it does cause damage, to add to the confusion. Considering the amount of viruses and trojans out there on P2P networks, I don't see ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Good for them? - Questionable Ethics 2004-03-20
Anonymous (4 replies)

It just goes to show how ethics vary between people.

Personally, I find it highly unethical to use false pretenses, no matter the reason. Your ethics may vary, but I was always taught and firmly believe that it is unethical to lie, and that the ends do not justify the means....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Good for them? - Questionable Ethics 2004-03-20
Anonymous (4 replies)

So, by the same reasoning, it's not alright for narcotics officers to go undercover to catch the drug pushers/dealers? It's not alright for cops to pose as 10 year old children on the internet to catch pedophiles?

Interesting...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Good for them? - Questionable Ethics 2004-03-21
Anonymous

Actually in many countries the police is not allowed to do that.

/M...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Good for them? - Questionable Ethics 2004-03-24
Sambo

Thats why law enforcement follows a strict procedure when going "under cover", can you say entrapment?. Vigilanties are frowned upon regardless of any "good intentions"....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Good for them? - Questionable Ethics 2004-03-25
Anonymous

Is it not called entrapment and is against the law....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Good for them? - Questionable Ethics 2004-03-26
Anonymous

Well in fact these guys ARE NOT COPS and even the COPS have to ask for permission to tap phone lines.

And when someone just do it, well this seems to me much more like ANARCHY!!!!...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Good for them? - Questionable Ethics 2004-03-20
Anonymous (1 replies)

I believe that the illegal and questionable planting of these type executionables in software will completely complicate the prosecution of software pirates. If a seized computer is found to have that program imbedded, defense attorney's will have a field day with the factual issue of the defendant...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Good for them? - Questionable Ethics 2004-03-26
Anonymous

There is not a law (at least here in the US) that says you can be prosicuted for downloading software that is intended on being downloaded by its creator. This program was designed by its creators to be downloaded. As far as a prosocutor is concerned, this program being found on a hard drive is like...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Questionable Ethics? it's everywhere 2004-03-20
Anonymous (1 replies)

If we look around we can see that big companies are forgetting ethics more and more every day. I've heard a rumor that microsoft windows longhorn will have a built-in software authentification system so that they could monitor our software and stuff like that. i don't know where is this all going, b...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Questionable Ethics? it's everywhere 2004-03-21
Anonymous (1 replies)

What you are referring to is TCPA.

Look it up and be afraid......

[ more ] [ reply ]

Questionable Ethics? it's everywhere 2004-03-25
Anonymous

Well, in the case of Microsoft Longhorn's spybots, the only thing we can do is NOT buy the new product... Imagine the scene: for the first month in sales, nobody buys the new-absolutely-non-necesary MS product. What would Mr. Gates do?...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Good for them? - Questionable Ethics 2004-03-25
Anonymous

So it is unethical for them to utilize this so called "virus", but it is ethical to download illegal software from P2P?...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Zach (1 replies)

This is a two-sided case. Should people pirate software? No. Should your private information (IP address and the like) be recorded and on public display? No. I think this project would have served its purpose if they only posted how many times it was executed and the time spent open after said ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-20
Anonymous

The word hypocrisy does spring quite quickly to mind when thinking of these two students.

Stupidity in the case of those who didn't lock their firewalls or didn't have one installed also comes to mind quite quickly. And to think, the ppl downloading these files should know better. ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

ROTFLMAO! 2004-03-19
Penguinisto

I think it's kinda funny, actually... I mean, if someone is dumb enough to run a binary grabbed from P2P nowadays?

It's a lot like the digital version of junkies sharing a needle, or perhaps seeing a donut that had been laying on the street in Times Square for heaven only knows how long, and thi...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Breaking the law 2004-03-19
Anonymous (1 replies)

They are tricking users in sending their personal information to them. This is a serious offense in Italy (where I live) and most of Europe. We take our privacy most seriously.

Furthermore, cracks are legal in Italy (if you own a registered copy), because it is considered wrong for companies who se...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Breaking the law 2004-03-23
Anonymous

I'm not quite sure if you didn't fully explain the law in italy, but it would seem the Playstation mods are different than software mods because you don't really own software, you just own a license. That said, i'm probably horribly wrong cuz i'm ignorant of your laws....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Anonymous

Someone will return the favor, just like Madonna and her little prank. Bad Pirates don't like being f**ked with!!...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Anonymous

"No-one has any right to install software on someone else's PC unless they have agreed to the installation."

I'm pretty sure that if you download and run an executable, you've implicitly given permission for the software to run. Their software doesn't install anything, and has no effect after you...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Anonymous (1 replies)

This is both unethical and illegal.

The perpetrators are stealing information for a purpose other than indicated. The user is decieved into thinking they are running a a possibly illegal program that then in turn performs an illegal operation. Not the expected illegal operation, but illegal just ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-25
Anonymous

Quote"These vigilantes are the electronic equivalant of a lynch mob acting as judge, jury, and executioner, outside the law, violating the public trust and thier own ISPs Terms Of Service"

More power to them!...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Anonymous (1 replies)

-This is most certainly malware and should

-be treated as an active virus hoax.

Its not self replicating so it a trojan. It doesn't cause any damage, so its not malware. Your point is flawed. Obviously they already intended to download UT2k already, or some other software that is obviously not ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Anonymous

Just some quick thoughts on the matter. There are a large number of assumptions going on here. I'll just cut to the chase. The writers of the program assumed anyone downloading files of such a nature are pirates. That makes them irresponsible in the collection of data. They also collected data ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Anonymous (1 replies)

What a refreshing story. Just when I'm ready

to give up hope, there's always something,

however small, that helps restore my faith

in humanity.

I remember a few years ago there was a sting

operation that nabbed a bunch of fugitives

by running a bogus sweepstakes. The

criminals were le...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-21
Anonymous

You're in America, dude...

You can't fruadulently expose criminals, even if you think it's right.

Keep in mind, unless they commit a crime, they're not criminals. And the benefit of the doubt is with them, to be determined in Court.

It's debateable (unless you're a member of MPAA, SPA, o...

[ more ] [ reply ]

This is stupid, here is why. 2004-03-19
Anonymous (1 replies)

IT isn't original, and gets nothing done.

in fact, the musci industry had a much better idea of "wasting time" whenit put out songs on the P2P services that were just the first 10 second and the rest was just noise. Much more effective, but it didn't get a notice because it it didn't have a screen ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

This is stupid, here is why. 2004-03-20
Anonymous

DOH! if you read the text properly you woud see that its being distributed as a keygen or crack, not the program itself....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Anonymous

Awright... these boys just wanna have fun!!!...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Jim Reading tomshardware

Here's one to think about. If someone has already been able to detect and modify this code what's to say they haven't modified it to report to the wrong sites, or DOS attack someone, eating up bandwidth from it's spreading and reporting. For that fact it may have been modified to include a virus....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-19
Anonymous

Look, This is a complete outrage.

I do not think that Someone has rigth to execute something on my computer (even though I launched it) and send information to some host, without even asking me if it is OK with me to send my personal information to someone else.

I think that's piracy too. Beat...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-20
Anonymous

It's not hurting anyone? That's cool. I'll go over to their house pretending to be a delivery guy, then when they open the door, I'll go into their living room and take a dump on their carpet. "BUT I DIDN'T HURT ANYONE." Do these idiots really have no clue how the law works?...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-20
Anonymous

I know this is a somewhat extreme example, but I believe the underlying message is the same.

Say I don't like car thieves. (I really, really don't... I love my car. :] ) Would it be ethical for me, then, to get, say, a Ferrari 360, plant a car bomb, and leave it parked in the middle of Detroit f...

[ more ] [ reply ]

You all might think it's all fun and games.............. 2004-03-20
neb (3 replies)

'cause you think us so-called pirates get the stuff for free. That's hogwash. Ain't nothing free in the warez world. I suspect your just miffed because you can't figure out how to apply a crack or find the software you want. It take a heck of a lot of work and long sleepless nights. Who do you think...

[ more ] [ reply ]

You all might think it's all fun and games.............. 2004-03-21
bl0rf

Yes, the prices companies are charging for software border on criminal....

[ more ] [ reply ]

You all might think it's all fun and games.............. 2004-03-21
Anonymous (1 replies)

LOL!

Sweet reply neb, I agree with you 100% :) This internet file trading war is getting ridiculous, and the ones who suffer most ain't gonna be us *cough* "pirates"...it's gonna be music, movies, software, and ISP's who all lose big-time in teh end!...

[ more ] [ reply ]

You all might think it's all fun and games.............. 2004-03-23
Dragon (1 replies)

I totally agree.

I personally use P2P to download and evaluate full versions of an app. Then If I feel that it is worth the over inflated price I will buy it. but I am sorry I will not pay 150 bucks for an operating system. I will not pay 50-60 bucks for a game that I will put maybe 30 hours...

[ more ] [ reply ]

...LOL, where does one begin? 2004-03-23
Penguinisto

As a preface, I will say up front that the MPAA and RIAA are wrong in their litigation practices, as media such as video and music are legally fuzzy areas as per P2P (WRT recoding entertainment from the radio or TV vs. from the Internet.)

OTOH, software piracy is clearly illegal, dangerous to th...

[ more ] [ reply ]

You all might think it's all fun and games.............. 2004-03-26
Doug (1 replies)

It really sounds like you are trying to justify stealing software and music from P2P sources. Unless and until the creator or copyright holder gives you permission to use the application without paying for it....you must pay for it.

As far as your arguement for your ISP service costing you $50 fo...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Re: You all might think it's all fun and games.............. 2006-08-04
Chris

I agree whole-heartedly. If you think that it's not worth to money to buy a program from the programmer or to buy a cd from a musician, then you obviously can't want it that badly. If you felt that strongly that you needed the files, you would go buy them. But the fact remains that you don't thin...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-20
Anonymous

I will be open to admit that I have pirated software at one time or another. But not through Kazaa or eDonkey, or Bit Torrent. Most of it was for educational/research purposes which still isn't any justification. These kids are just as bad as any other vigilante. Enforcement of the law should on...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-20
Anonymous (1 replies)

Angry people caught should stop whining

booby traps are part of the risk of

pirating copyrighted software it's

everywhere Hackers plant traps.....

programmers who want to protect there shareware apps from piracy plant traps

and expensive closed software has them

too. Sorry the 'I'm poor...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-26
Anonymous

if you think that there are equivalent freeware apps out there, then why don't you find all of them then post them on a site, newsgroup, or forum for us "poor" people who think that the software companies are charging 100x the cost it takes to write the program. Now I understand that they pay people...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-20
Anonymous

Questionable legality? Not by a longshot. 2004-03-20
Eric E (1 replies)

Clifford makes a number of disclaimers on his public website. He tries to defend his program from the status of "Trojan Horse" by implying that a trojan must carry some sort of payload, something to be delivered to the user of the executable.

In my eyes, the hidden connections it makes to the we...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Questionable legality? Not by a longshot. 2004-03-23
Anonymous

the defintition of a trojan is simply a program that poses as something else. i dont care who he is or how righteous he thinks he is, its a trojan, and illegall....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-20
FTP

i think it just shows you the dangers of p2p you dont know your source you can swcan things all you want it doesnt help this is a nice wake up call i think polite the only personal info it gets is ip and if your connected its available to any any who really wants it or any site you connect to thats ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Definatly illegal, definatly a virus 2004-03-21
Legal software user (1 replies)

Not everyone downloads a keygen to illegally run software. Perhaps they have lost thier CD-key. Or believe microsoft doesn't need to know how often they reinstall a legal copy of XP.

Even if they are downloading for illegal purposes YOU ARE NOT THE SOFTWARE COMPANY and YOU ARE NOT THE AUTHORITI...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Definatly illegal, definatly a virus 2004-03-24
Anonymous

Or how many machines the "re-install" it on, Mr./Ms. Legal Software user???...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-21
Anonymous

heh, that's what people get for not running firewalls that warn against outgoing connections... ;)...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Don't blame real virus coders cause if you have real copies of Windows then you are fully patched! 2004-03-21
Geist (4 replies)

I never have any problem with any of the email virus floating around cause my real Windows XP is automatically fully patched. So all those virus writers out there are doing the same thing as these guys are doing right? And so they shouldn't be prosecuted right? I don't see the distinction between...

[ more ] [ reply ]

blame real virus coders cause if you have real copies of Windows then you are still not fully patched! 2004-03-21
Anonymous

outlook express is a bad mail/newsreader. v6 is better than v4/5 though. you know about the iframe bug? OE executed Attachments automatically. theres is no difference between licensed and unlicensed versions. and every 3V1L pirate with a pirated windows can use windowsupdate by changing a single dig...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Don't blame real virus coders cause if you have real copies of Windows then you are fully patched! 2004-03-22
Anonymous

You have the strange misconception that Microsoft is always one step ahead of the virus coders. Yes many of the e-mail viruses floating around could have been prevented but there are many companies who have legitimately purchased their copies of whatever software for their corporation and still have...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Don't blame real virus coders cause if you have real copies of Windows then you are fully patched! 2004-03-22
Richie086

Sorry to tell ya, but just because you have a legit copy of windows DOES NOT mean that you are not going to have worm/virus problems.. If you run windows PEROID you will be exposed just like most of the people out there unless your network runs on some magical mystery protocol that none of us know ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Don't blame real virus coders cause if you have real copies of Windows then you are fully patched! 2004-03-22
southernwolf

That's a touching faith in patched MS products. Microsoft hasn't been exactly proactive in patching it's Windows versions and XP is perhaps the most vulnerable of all. How else explain that MS's impending XP SP3 is 273 megs in download size and quite comprehensive?...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-22
Anonymous

If you execute a program, it is on you to insure it is safe. if you go to a public file share site and down load software you do so knowing that bad things could happen. Just like sex it is on you to use protection and the best protection is abstinence....

[ more ] [ reply ]

We like to call that "Entrapment" in the legal world 2004-03-22
Reuben (4 replies)

Not that it means anything.. But yes, regardless of what the person did on his computer, tricking them into performing such action and "stealing" their information (I Know, I know) is steal a form of entrapment and would never hold up in a court of law. You would have mass amounts of people scream...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Not entrapment, but definitely a violation of privacy. 2004-03-22
j0k3r

Entrapment as defined by dictionary.com and every law book in the world:

"To lure into performing a previously or otherwise uncontemplated illegal act."

You would have to convince a judge that this person would have not otherwise downloaded the program. Yeah right...

However, it is a definite ...

[ more ] [ reply ]

We like to call that "Entrapment" in the legal world 2004-03-22
Anonymous

That's nice, but they aren't law enforment agents and they aren't handing the info to them. How coud it be entrapment since entrapment only applies to law enforment types?...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Maybe it's not entrapment. 2004-03-23
Anonymous

The problem is that they have not tricked them into doing anything. The people who have run the code have done so of their own free will.

It's like having a car tracker, a theif doesn't get off if they were caught because the tracker directed police to the car, in the same way the person download...

[ more ] [ reply ]

We like to call that "Entrapment" in the legal world 2004-03-23
Anonymous (1 replies)

Entrapment, legally speaking, only occurs when one does something that would coerce a normally law-abiding person into breaking the law. In addition, only law-enforcement agencies can be guilty of entrapment!

This would NOT hold up in court if you scream ENTRAPMENT! Because no 'law-abiding' perso...

[ more ] [ reply ]

We like to call that "Entrapment" in the legal world 2004-03-26
Doug

I agree with you completely.

Additionally, if Microsoft released a similar verion of this script and named it nextwindows.exe or nextwindows.zip and then placed it on a single P2P network for only 24 hours...how long do you think it would be before the media, the DoJ, or the EU would declare that...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-22
Anonymous

IF these people were real computer users. they would know Bill gates stole software.. and get over it. who cares are these people mad because they didn't think of P2P???? bunch of no good losers if you ask me. why don't they get a real life and leave other people alone. and if you want to know i b...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-22
Blu

LOL! I think it's great! Good job guys! You sniveling lil pirates stop ya whining... You're stealing! Entrapment indeed! LOL... oh man... Don't get mad just becoz the good guys fight back! LOL... oh man funny indeed ... and to think... 19 years old... CONGRATULATIONS AND I HOPE YOU HAVE MUCH SUCCESS...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-23
Anonymous

Good on them.

What they did was illegal and trickery,

but Im glad people are getting a reminder

that theft is theft. What percentage

of people are looking for keys to software they alread own? 0.0001% ? Why dont they

try the original manufacturer first.

And to the Warez distributer:

No, pa...

[ more ] [ reply ]

McAfee agrees 2004-03-23
Anonymous

The folks at McAfee agree with the authors: It's not a virus or a Trojan. See http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=101122...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-23
Tek Mann

Let me put it to you simply gentlemen. The law is the law, no two ways about it or your very own interpretation. Malicious intent, or 'any' intent 'thereof' to promote personal, objectionable, corporate, or 'any other' code that causes 'any' person and their computer to be subjected to 'any' progr...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Why ? 2004-03-23
(hidden)

I dont get why they r hunthing the p2p dudes, it wasnt a guy on edonkey who cracked UT 2K4 , it wasnt a guy on kazaa who ripped "insert movietitle here" before dvd retail date. Ur work is like trying to turn off a machine without turning off the power first, its useless and wont stop the piracy in a...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-24
Anonymous

The law is the law.

Who cares that the megacorporations behind the RIAA makes millions of dollars by selling CD's 20$ to 13 years old kids. Its the law.

Who cares about lobbyism. Who cares about the interests of individuals behind completely left behind, because of the interests of the big bus...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Downloader beware. 2004-03-24
Anonymous

Remember the old phrase "Buyer beware."?...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2004-03-25
Darkness(TrustyFiles user)

Foolish "anti piracy" idiots, you ->CAN'T<- stop us, give it up already. WE will get our FREE music one way or another. Join us, or step aside....

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2006-08-23
Buddha in Cayman

Thes guys have ingeniously shown the world there skill, in the battle to eliminate software piracy. Bravo..

I can bet they are being offered six figure salarys now..

Good for them..

Bad for file sharers..

such is life.

At least these boys are putting there skills to good use, and not hacking...

[ more ] [ reply ]

Anti-piracy vigilantes track file sharers 2008-03-19
Th3Pik3

THE ONLY PIRATES THEY CAUGHT WERE WANNABE PIRATES, THATS ALL!

Funny, they think they have stumbled onto something big?!

Simple enough to track an IP, any n00ish clown can do this with easy-to-find software for free. The fact that they wrote it themselves only tells us that they are descent script...

[ more ] [ reply ]