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Software Blacklist
Software blacklisting is a tool used by manufacturers of software and music on CD and DVD to prevent copying. Essentially the software on the disc will audit the user's computer for certain types of virtual CD and CD authoring software, or for debugging software used by warez groups to create patches (known as cracks) that bypass copy protection schemes. If blacklisted software is found then certain actions are taken by the software on the game or music disc. Examples would be allowing the copying of the game to take place, but crashing the copied game when attempting to start it; allowing copies of games that will malfunction in subtle ways and simply disallowing the game to be run while this software exists. This software blacklisting can be seen as a countermeasure to virtual CD/CD burning software used to bypass copy protection schemes such as SecuROM, SafeDisc and LaserLock. In order to copy the CD, the user may have to copy the disc on another computer (real or virtua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virtual CD
A disk image, in computing, is a computer file containing the contents and structure of a disk volume or of an entire data storage device, such as a hard disk drive, tape drive, floppy disk, optical disc, or USB flash drive. A disk image is usually made by creating a sector-by-sector copy of the source medium, thereby perfectly replicating the structure and contents of a storage device independent of the file system. Depending on the disk image format, a disk image may span one or more computer files. The file format may be an open standard, such as the ISO image format for optical disc images, or a disk image may be unique to a particular software application. The size of a disk image can be large because it contains the contents of an entire disk. To reduce storage requirements, if an imaging utility is filesystem-aware it can omit copying unused space, and it can compress the used space. History Disk images were originally (in the late 1960s) used for backup and disk clonin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Debugger
A debugger or debugging tool is a computer program used to test and debug other programs (the "target" program). The main use of a debugger is to run the target program under controlled conditions that permit the programmer to track its execution and monitor changes in computer resources that may indicate malfunctioning code. Typical debugging facilities include the ability to run or halt the target program at specific points, display the contents of memory, CPU registers or storage devices (such as disk drives), and modify memory or register contents in order to enter selected test data that might be a cause of faulty program execution. The code to be examined might alternatively be running on an '' instruction set simulator'' (ISS), a technique that allows great power in its ability to halt when specific conditions are encountered, but which will typically be somewhat slower than executing the code directly on the appropriate (or the same) processor. Some debuggers offer two m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warez
Warez is a common computing and broader cultural term referring to pirated software (i.e. illegally copied, often after deactivation of anti-piracy measures) that is distributed via the Internet. Warez is used most commonly as a noun, a plural form of ''ware'' (short for computer software), and is intended to be pronounced like the word wares . The circumvention of copy protection ( cracking) is an essential step in generating warez, and based on this common mechanism, the software-focused definition has been extended to include other copyright-protected materials, including movies and games. The global array of warez groups has been referred to as "The Scene", deriving from its earlier description as "the warez scene". Distribution and trade of copyrighted works without payment of fees or royalties generally violates national and international copyright laws and agreements. The term warez covers supported as well as unsupported ( abandonware) items, and legal prohibitions go ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patch (computing)
A patch is a set of changes to a computer program or its supporting data designed to update, fix, or improve it. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, with such patches usually being called bugfixes or bug fixes. Patches are often written to improve the functionality, usability, or performance of a program. The majority of patches are provided by software vendors for operating system and application updates. Patches may be installed either under programmed control or by a human programmer using an editing tool or a debugger. They may be applied to program files on a storage device, or in computer memory. Patches may be permanent (until patched again) or temporary. Patching makes possible the modification of compiled and machine language object programs when the source code is unavailable. This demands a thorough understanding of the inner workings of the object code by the person creating the patch, which is difficult without close study of the sour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Software Cracking
Software cracking (known as "breaking" mostly in the 1980s) is the modification of software to remove or disable features which are considered undesirable by the person cracking the software (software cracker), especially copy protection features (including protection against the manipulation of software, serial number, hardware key, date checks and disc check) or software annoyances like nag screens and adware. A crack refers to the means of achieving, for example a stolen serial number or a tool that performs that act of cracking. Some of these tools are called keygen, patch, loader, or no-disc crack. A keygen is a handmade product serial number generator that often offers the ability to generate working serial numbers in your own name. A patch is a small computer program that modifies the machine code of another program. This has the advantage for a cracker to not include a large executable in a release when only a few bytes are changed. A loader modifies the startup flow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Copy Protection
Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy prevention and copy restriction, describes measures to enforce copyright by preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media. Copy protection is most commonly found on videotapes, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, HD-DVDs, computer software discs, video game discs and cartridges, audio CDs and some VCDs. Some methods of copy protection have also led to criticism because it caused inconvenience for paying consumers or secretly installed additional or unwanted software to detect copying activities on the consumer's computer. Making copy protection effective while protecting consumer rights remains a problem with media publication. Terminology Media corporations have always used the term copy protection, but critics argue that the term tends to sway the public into identifying with the publishers, who favor restriction technologies, rather than with the users. Copy prevention and copy control may be more neu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SecuROM
SecuROM was a CD/ DVD copy protection and digital rights management (DRM) product developed by Sony DADC. It aims to prevent unauthorised copying and reverse engineering of software, primarily commercial computer games running on Microsoft Windows. The method of disc protection in later versions is data position measurement, which may be used in conjunction with online activation DRM. SecuROM gained prominence in the late 2000s but generated controversy because of its requirement for frequent online authentication and strict key activation limits. A 2008 class-action lawsuit was filed against Electronic Arts for its use of SecuROM in the video game ''Spore''. Opponents, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, believe that fair-use rights are restricted by DRM applications such as SecuROM. Software SecuROM limits the number of PCs activated at the same time from the same key and is not uninstalled upon removal of the game. SecuROM 7.x was the first version to include the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SafeDisc
''SafeDisc'' is a copy protection program for Microsoft Windows applications and games distributed on optical disc. Created by Macrovision Corporation, it was aimed to hinder unauthorized disc duplication. The program was first introduced in 1998 and was discontinued on March 31, 2009. Although the stated use is to prevent piracy, many, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, believe it is used to restrict one's fair-use rights. History There have been several editions of SafeDisc over the years. Each one has the goals of making discs harder to copy. The current revision is marketed as SafeDisc Advanced. The early versions of SafeDisc did not make the discs very difficult to copy. Recent versions 2.9+ could produce discs that are difficult to copy or reverse engineer, requiring specific burners capable of emulating the "weak sectors" and odd data formats that are characteristic of SafeDisc. Withdrawal of support Shortly after the release of Windows 10 in 2015, Microsof ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LaserLock
LaserLock is a copy restriction system for CD-ROMs with 32-bit Windows applications introduced by MLS LaserLock International Inc. in 1995. LaserLock is supposed to check whether the original storage medium of a program is inserted. This check can be done regularly or only once during the installation of the program. If the disk is not accessible, an error window is displayed. It uses a combination of encryption software and an optical mark on the surface of the disk. The protection code is embedded into an executable file on the disk using a proprietary tool. This file, which is responsible for searching for the physical mark on the disk, is encrypted and gets multiple layers of protection against code analysis to impede reverse engineering. The size of the encrypted file varies from 20 MB on CD-ROMs to 40 MB on DVD-ROMs or occasionally only 5 MB. LaserLock includes a hidden directory on the disk which contains corrupted data. When the disk is copied, the read device ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daemon Tools
DAEMON Tools is a virtual drive and optical disc authoring program for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. Overview DAEMON tools was originally a successor of ''Generic SafeDisc emulator'' and incorporated all of its features. The program claims to be able to defeat most copy protection schemes such as SafeDisc and SecuROM. It is currently compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. DAEMON Tools has a special mode for proper operation of copies of discs with advanced protection ( SafeDisc, SecuRom and LaserLock, CDCOPS, StarForce and Protect CD), which are used on some discs with games. Editions Six editions of the product exist: Ultra, Lite, Pro Standard, Pro Advanced, Net and DT for Mac. A feature comparison is given below. Also, company provides two additional solutions for the data storage organization: DAEMON Tools USB 2 that allows sharing different types of USB devices between remote workstations and DAEMON Tools iSCSI Target 2 – ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nero Multimedia Suite
Nero Multimedia Suite is a software suite for Microsoft Windows that is developed and marketed by Nero AG. Version 2017 of this product was released in October 2016. Version differences Since its Version 10, Nero provides two variants of the suite – the Classic and the Platinum. The Platinum version includes the following additional functions: *Music recorder - to record MP3s from worldwide radios stations (since Nero 2016) *Video editing in Ultra-HD (since version 2014) and in HEVC (Since Nero 2017 but only available in Nero Video and not available in Nero Recode) *Additional video, transition and picture-in-picture effects *SecurDisc 4.0 Technology with 256 bit-encryption (since Nero 2017) *Additional film templates and disc menu templates *Blu-ray disc ripping and conversion *Blu-ray playback (not possible with Nero 2016, only with previous versions) Included products The following applications are included in Nero 2016: Disc authoring and copying * ''Nero Burning ROM ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
