Anti Rootkit Blog

A group of hackers have shown how they can use the Sony BMG rootkit to help them cheat on World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft (WoW) is a very popular online game created by Blizzard Entertainment.

When WoW is installed another program is installed along with it called “The Warden”. It checks a player’s computer memory for running processes that match certain software tools that are considered cheats. The check is automatic, only reports violators, and explicitly allowed under the terms of service and end-user license agreement. Blizzard Entertainment have been accused of using “The Warden” as a “spyware” program.

WoW cheaters can now use their cheat programs, hidden using the Sony rootkit. All they have to do is to rename the files by putting a $sys$ in front of the filename.

Greg Hoglund has created a program called “The Governor” that will show users what “The Warden” spyware is doing in the background.

Keep Safe

regards
Steo
www.antirootkit.com

As detailed by the BBC, Blizzard’s latest version of World of Warcraft installs a spyware program known as The Warden. In addition to monitoring a player’s system for any known cheating or trainer software, The Warden also scans the title bars of any other running program, and is capable of retrieving email addresses or open URL’s. This program in itself seems to be Spyware by virtue of the fact it is spying on people who use it’s software.It is ironic then that WoW hackers have said that they can use software distributed by Sony, for Digital Rights Management, to hide cheating programs for World of Warcraft. The Rootkit that Sony distributed by many CD’s recently hides files that begin with $sys$ so all the hackers had to do was change the filenames used by their cheating software and install Sony’s Rootkit via a music CD and hey presto.. hidden cheating.

Keep Safe,

regards
Steo
www.antirootkit.com