Pirates Crack Microsoft’s UWP Protection, Five Layers of DRM Defeated

[Red]

https://torrentfreak.com/pirates-crack-microsofts-uwp-protection-five-layers-of-drm-defeated-180215/

Pirates Crack Microsoft’s UWP Protection, Five Layers of DRM Defeated

Video games pirates have reason to celebrate today after scene
cracking group CODEX defeated Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform
system on Zoo Tycoon Ultimate Animal Collection. While the game it was
protecting isn't exactly a fan favorite, it was reportedly protected
by five layers of DRM within the UWP package, including the
Denuvo-like Arxan anti-tamper technology.

As the image on the right shows, Microsoft’s Universal Windows
Platform (UWP) is a system that enables software developers to create
applications that can run across many devices.

“The Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is the app platform for Windows
10. You can develop apps for UWP with just one API set, one app
package, and one store to reach all Windows 10 devices – PC, tablet,
phone, Xbox, HoloLens, Surface Hub and more,” Microsoft explains.

While the benefits of such a system are immediately apparent, critics
say that UWP gives Microsoft an awful lot of control, not least since
UWP software must be distributed via the Windows Store with Microsoft
taking a cut.

Or that was the plan, at least.

Last evening it became clear that the UWP system, previously believed
to be uncrackable, had fallen to pirates. After being released on
October 31, 2017, the somewhat underwhelming Zoo Tycoon Ultimate
Animal Collection became the first victim at the hands of popular
scene group, CODEX.

“This is the first scene release of a UWP (Universal Windows Platform)
game. Therefore we would like to point out that it will of course only
work on Windows 10. This particular game requires Windows 10 version
1607 or newer,” the group said in its release notes.

CODEX says it’s important that the game isn’t allowed to communicate
with the Internet so the group advises users to block the game’s
executable in their firewall.

While that’s not a particularly unusual instruction, CODEX did reveal
that various layers of protection had to be bypassed to make the game
work. They’re listed by the group as MSStore, UWP, EAppX, XBLive, and
Arxan, the latter being an anti-tamper system.

“It’s the equivalent of Denuvo (without the DRM License part),”
cracker Voksi previously explained. “It’s still bloats the executable
with useless virtual machines that only slow down your game.”

Arxan’s marketing comes off as extremely confident but may need
amending in light of yesterday’s developments.

“Arxan uses code protection against reverse-engineering, key and data
protection to secure servers and fortification of game logic to stop
the bad guys from tampering. Sorry hackers, game over,” the company’s
marketing reads.

What is unclear at this stage is whether Zoo Tycoon Ultimate Animal
Collection represents a typical UWP release or if some particular flaw
allowed CODEX to take it apart. The possibility of additional releases
is certainly a tantalizing one for pirates but how long they will have
to wait is unknown.

Whatever the outcome, Arxan calling “game over” is perhaps a little
premature under the circumstances but in this continuing arms race,
they probably have another version of their anti-tamper tech up their
sleeves…..

[Doomsdrzej]

Fairly sad, but not totally unexpected. Just about every Microsoft
security measure is a joke for the same reason why they are
theoretically respected as a software company. They hire the best
coming out of a variety of higher education establishments, but those
same employees are only skilled at reading books and getting a job
done in a timely, orderly fashion. They've never been asked or forced
to think out of the box so it shouldn't be a shock that whatever they
come up with for security is also unimaginative and only theoretically
effective. I'd trust those who create software with skills they've
acquired out of a desire to do so than those who create skills with
skills they've acquired from reading a book.

[Chris Ahlstrom]

Red wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

> https://torrentfreak.com/pirates-crack-microsofts-uwp-protection-five-layers-of-drm-defeated-180215/
>
> Pirates Crack Microsoft’s UWP Protection, Five Layers of DRM Defeated
>
> Video games pirates have reason to celebrate today after scene
> cracking group CODEX defeated Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform
> system on Zoo Tycoon Ultimate Animal Collection.
>

> <snippage>

An awful lot of time spent in Windoze :-(

--
You will be called upon to help a friend in trouble.

[Red]

On Sat, 17 Feb 2018 13:42:41 -0500, Doomsdrzej <d...@do.om> wrote:

>
>Fairly sad, but not totally unexpected. Just about every Microsoft
>security measure is a joke for the same reason why they are
>theoretically respected as a software company. They hire the best
>coming out of a variety of higher education establishments, but those
>same employees are only skilled at reading books and getting a job
>done in a timely, orderly fashion. They've never been asked or forced
>to think out of the box so it shouldn't be a shock that whatever they
>come up with for security is also unimaginative and only theoretically
>effective. I'd trust those who create software with skills they've
>acquired out of a desire to do so than those who create skills with
>skills they've acquired from reading a book.

I'd say this is the main problem right now with the entire computer
industry, whether commercial or nonprofit.

[Doomsdrzej]

It's why Linux is actually the greatest hope for the industry. The
very fact that it is open means that you're not only attracting the
book worms, but also those who have a true desire to think outside the
box in either creating, securing or fixing software. We can dump on it
all day and many of us have, but even its harshest critics have to
admit that its approach is superior to that of Apple and Microsoft who
believe that obscurity will keep their customers secure and who,
whether they admit it or not, enjoy total control over the system
software to force both hardware and software purchases.