Rootkit: The word that started mass hysteria
What about the word rootkit started such hysteria in the gaming world? And why was GamingBOB.com all of the sudden the authoritarian in the complexities of rootkits?
When I wrote about Bioshock and SecuROM I intended to alert my thirty or so random readers a day, most of which are just passing by to download my phpBB theme, about the service being installed on their computers when installing the BioShock demo. This came to light after running RootkitRevealer, which picked up a SecuROM registry key. So the article was set, I had made reference to a “rootkit”. No big deal right? Apparently not when some random reader stumbles upon it and submits it to Slashdot.
For those who didn’t read the Slashdot article the excerpt had this to say:
“Sony (the owner of SecureROM copy protection) is still up to its old tricks. One would think that they would have learned their lesson after the music CD DRM fiasco, which cost them millions. However, they have now started infesting PC gaming with their invasive DRM. Facts have surfaced that show that the recently released PC game BioShock installs a rootkit, which embeds itself into Explorer, as part of its SecureROM copy-protection scheme. Not only that, but just installing the demo infects your system with the rootkit. This begs the question: Since when did demos need copy protection?”
Where did this anonymous reader get this information from? I never even made a reference to Sony. There was an immediate backlash claiming I had some evil plan to gain traffic and ad revenue. Yeah, since thirty visitors a day equals massive payouts. Obviously, who ever wrote that is completely clueless, and has never operated a website with ads.
After hitting the front page of Slashdot, and after realizing the SecuROM service was not a rootkit, I immediately removed any reference to SecuROM being a rootkit. Problem solved. Nope. Websites continued to call SecuROM a rootkit, even after I had made the changes to my article. If any of these websites bothered to actually read what I wrote they would have discovered this message at the end:
*REFERENCES TO ROOTKIT HAVE BEEN REMOVED, FURTHER INVESTIGATION HAS REVEALED A MISUNDERSTANDING IN THE SECUROM SERVICE
I haven’t even had a chance to establish this website yet, so don’t fault me for the BioShock rootkit hysteria, blame the large media sources who spread it around. Although I am not a journalist, I have a degree in aerospace engineering and believe I am fairly intelligent.
For the most part I am amused at the responses. The statements about me make me laugh. But, I guess that is expected on the internet. Like they always say, don’t believe everything you read on the internet.
August 26, 2007 at 10:58 pm | Misc |
August 26th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
I agree with the lolinternet reasoning.
August 27th, 2007 at 7:37 am
Blame is also down to you for not properly researching the topic at hand and just posting it out there with all the hysteria around DRM it was bound to happen (and this topic had come up 2K forums as well)
You still haven’t altered your article to say that Securom isn’t a rootkit just taken the references out and even admit that you were wrong.
Plus the fact that Securom installs a service is ancient news to those in the warez scene & has been used on a vast number of PC games over the years.
August 27th, 2007 at 10:46 am
He made his claim BASED on what RootKitRevealer said. I wont say it was his complete fault. And he changed his statement around once he found out it wasnt a rootkit. Don’t put the full blame if there are idiots out on the web who believe every single word someone puts online. Anyone with common sense should know that you have to have some doubt with what is put up. And like he said, he’s an aerospace engineer.
August 27th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Translating tnr.sw’s comments
[quote]He made his claim BASED on what RootKitRevealer said. I wont say it was his complete fault. [/quote]
I believe him.
[quote]And he changed his statement around once he found out it wasnt a rootkit.[/quote]
I don’t believe him.
[quote]Don’t put the full blame if there are idiots out on the web who believe every single word someone puts online.[/quote]
I believe him!
[quote]Anyone with common sense should know that you have to have some doubt with what is put up.[/quote]
I don’t believe him!
[quote]And like he said, he’s an aerospace engineer.[/quote]
I BELIEVE HIM!!!
August 27th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
By the way I would just like to point out that if someone can “lie” about the BioShock rootkit how much stock can you put in “I have a degree in aerospace engineering, not journalism.”
You wouldn’t happen to be either related to DEREK SMART?
August 27th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
There is a difference between a lie and a mistake.
You wouldn’t happen to be either related to DEREK SMART?
Lol, I had no idea who you referring to, but I just googled his name. I can assure you I’m not related to him.
August 27th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Fair enough
September 3rd, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Hi there, I’ve fallen here following a gmail webclip then I’ve started to read along the rootkit, even because I had one the (in)famous CD. I wanted just to leave this comment: “why you should be blamed about what you write freely on your site? It’s your site and it’s your opinion, right or wrong, it’s not your business. No one is forced to read your posts and no one is forced to believe your posts.
Blogs readers, TAKE IT EASY!
GamingBOB…nice site and nice logo
September 5th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
People on slashdot also posted that what gets installed with the games for code to run in admin mode even though you are running the machine in user mode (for their precious “copy protection”) to work - some people would call that a rootkit.