Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.

Dismiss

IRC being used for software piracy (Warez)

1,603 views

Skip to first unread message

save_the_internet

unread,

Mar 3, 1995, 11:46:06 AM3/3/95

I have had for some time information about the use of the internet
for transfer of illegal pirated software. Recently, however, I have realized
the severity of the situation, to the tune of thousands of software pirates
using IRC to further their crime. In the past, lists of ftp sites abused to
this end have been posted, I have obtained a list of the people who frequent
the "warez" IRC channels (#warez, #warez1, #warez2, #warez3, #warez4,
#warez5, #warez6, and possibly others). Since these channels are usually
invite only, they are often hard to get into, and because those people will
not tolerate anyone who does not take part in their crime, I was not able to
stay in long to get detailed logs of their conversations. However, it is
quite obvious that they openly trade pirated software (even from spending
several minutes in the channel, this can be observed) and do not use these
channels for legitimate means. It would seem that the lower numbered
(#warez, #warez2) channels are the most exclusive, available to only those
thieves with the newest "zero day" pirated software.

From /who listings, I am appending a listing of people who have
frequently been in the #warez* channels. Complete who listings would be
posted, but they are quite large in volume and duplicates among different
channels and different IRCNAME's would have to be removed, bringing us back
to the exact same listing. Names are in standard IRC nick!user@host format,
a best attempt was made to sort them in reverse (domain, subdomain, host,
user, nick), to make it easier for administrators to search for their own
system.

It is *STRONGLY* recommended that administrators of systems in which
these users are on check their directories for pirated software or
extremely large disk usage.

Gross misuse of the Internet such as this, and the toleration of it,
brings us one step closer to the regulation of the internet that would
essentially destroy it. Help work with the anarchy to save it. And if you
don't care about the net and the millions of people it affects, at least
care about yourself and the risk you incur by allowing pirated software to
be traded through your system, even unknowingly.

It would be much better for the media to learn that a problem was
recognized and dealt with than for them to report "software piracy runs
rampant on the Internet, system adminstrators do nothing to stop it." This
is not a case of free speech or violations of an ancient law, but of a
serious problem that cannot be ignored.

3227 line list follows:

*EOF*

USA_Direct

unread,

Mar 4, 1995, 6:09:58 PM3/4/95

In article <oQso_k...@netcom.com>, <Save The Internet> wrote:
> I have had for some time information about the use of the internet
>for transfer of illegal pirated software. Recently, however, I have realized
>the severity of the situation, to the tune of thousands of software pirates
>using IRC to further their crime. In the past, lists of ftp sites abused to
>this end have been posted, I have obtained a list of the people who frequent
>the "warez" IRC channels (#warez, #warez1, #warez2, #warez3, #warez4,
>#warez5, #warez6, and possibly others). Since these channels are usually
>invite only, they are often hard to get into, and because those people will

If this person is found..... Well... I guess he'll know what it's like
not to have a mail box....

respond X 300,000

JAke
_____________ ________ ^ ______ 'Thank-you for abusing AT&T'
|***********| |******| /*\ /*****/ *****************************
|** |***| **| |******| /*^*\ /****/ * Ph3ar m3 cuz my ISP r00lz.*
-- |***| -- |**| /*/ \*\ |***/ * IRC = USAdirect *
|***| |**| /*/___\*\ |**< * Formerly IRC = Opp *
|***| |**| /*********\ |***\_ * 'Time 4 a change' *
|***| |******| /*/-------\*\ \****\_ * Email: u...@max.tiac.net *
|*******| |******| /*/ \*\ \*****\ *****************************

USA_Direct

unread,

Mar 4, 1995, 6:14:17 PM3/4/95

No to mention scanning through and seeing muh self on there..

Opp!u...@max.tiac.net

.... Oh well.. the life of a Netcom Loser continues on Usenet.. hehe

BTW !! Did you get those other WAREZ lists I sent to you ??
If they haven't gone down they all should have the Commander Keen series

>> Kan't have enuff Commander Keen <<

hahahahahaha

Jake - ph3ar m3 b0y

Message has been deleted

save_the_internet

unread,

Mar 5, 1995, 8:42:01 AM3/5/95

My previous post was maliciously cancelled by one of the pirates. This is a
repost:

save_the_internet

unread,

Mar 5, 1995, 8:42:02 AM3/5/95

Vasilios Pilarinos

unread,

Mar 5, 1995, 10:13:40 AM3/5/95

SiLeNt (sil...@news.gate.net) wrote:
: >quite obvious that they openly trade pirated software (even from spending

: >several minutes in the channel, this can be observed) and do not use these
: >channels for legitimate means. It would seem that the lower numbered

: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ----- What would that be??
: Please clarify this gross misuse of an adjective.
: thanks

Cracks, for ease of use purposes. Say you have the game and don't
want to look at the manual every time you start up the game. You go into
#warezXXX and look around for it. Perfectly normal. Or people that went
there originally (when the first started ircing) looking for warez but
just hang out know cause they like the company. Quite legitimate, no?
--
<Vasilios Pilarinos> * <vqp...@is2.nyu.edu>
<Tuez-les tous; Dieu reconnaitra les siens.>

Hamish Mogan

unread,

Mar 4, 1995, 11:32:27 PM3/4/95

[Bullshit Deleted]

Look pal, no one give a rats ass about your elite list of warez frequenters
because you are missing one vital ingredient to conviction..

E V I D E N C E....

Just because you are on a #warez channel DOESN'T mean that you are commiting
a crime and its whining little nerds like yourself who have ruined IRC.

So pal, get a life, oh and get some evidence too!

SiLeNt

unread,

Mar 5, 1995, 4:17:56 AM3/5/95

Save The Internet writes:

> I have had for some time information about the use of the internet
>for transfer of illegal pirated software. Recently, however, I have realized
>the severity of the situation, to the tune of thousands of software pirates
>using IRC to further their crime. In the past, lists of ftp sites abused to
>this end have been posted, I have obtained a list of the people who frequent
>the "warez" IRC channels (#warez, #warez1, #warez2, #warez3, #warez4,
>#warez5, #warez6, and possibly others). Since these channels are usually
>invite only, they are often hard to get into, and because those people will
>not tolerate anyone who does not take part in their crime, I was not able to
>stay in long to get detailed logs of their conversations. However, it is
>quite obvious that they openly trade pirated software (even from spending
>several minutes in the channel, this can be observed) and do not use these
>channels for legitimate means. It would seem that the lower numbered

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ----- What would that be??

Please clarify this gross misuse of an adjective.

thanks

SyLenT
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Finger for PGP Public-key* | "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I
sil...@gate.net | don't know...." -- L'etranger, Albert Camus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ruder Than You

unread,

Mar 5, 1995, 6:17:59 PM3/5/95

will...@meena.cc.uregina.ca wrote:

: Well said Oldpink! What a buttock head posting all, or most of the names of
: people who happen to be on warez channels. I noticed my name in his lame list,
: so I must have been pirating software by his assumptions. Even though I have
: an 3733+ 286 Computer, and couldnt run any pirated software anyhow!!!
: This guy is truely an absoulute buttockhead, if he thinks he's going to save
: the internet from software piracy *snore*. Yes, kindly crawl back to mommies
: arms and cry about it. Post your shit elsewhere.

I agree: I was shocked to find my name on the list. I do
sometimes hang out in #phreak, and #hack, but I've been on #warez once in
past 6 months. All of a sudden, my name is being passed around the
internet as a known criminal. I have no warez on my account, and I
simply do not 'do' warez. Fortunately, I have an understanding sysadmin
who will not jump to conclusions, but I feel sorry for those who don't.

--
HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which
are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.
_The Devil's Dictionary_
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
swa...@netaxs.com swa...@deeptht.armory.com

Tommy the Tourist

unread,

Mar 6, 1995, 4:53:36 AM3/6/95

I am reposting this because someone cancelled the original and I think what
was said, especially about not tolerating gross misuse of the net so that
the government does not decide that it has to step in and do it, was very
important. And censoring this man's words is not acceptable, in any case.

subject&newsgroups same as this,
Date: 3 Mar 1995 16:46:06 GMT
From: Save The Internet
Message-ID: <oQso_k...@netcom.com>

3227 line list follows:

*EOF*

Larry Wall got us 20kg of TNT from the Jehova's Witnesses in Cairo. If
they let their gaurd down then we'll blow the whole place to match
sticks.

--------
For more information about this anonymous posting service,please send mail
to rema...@csua.berkeley.edu with Subject: remailer-info.
This message contains automatically generated keyword blocks
that have been designed to resemble a threat. These blocks
are not a statement of intent by the remailer operator or anyone else.
--------

Michael Shields

unread,

Mar 5, 1995, 11:28:45 PM3/5/95

In article <jLnjZf...@netcom.com>, <Save The Internet> wrote:
> My previous post was maliciously cancelled by one of the pirates. This is a
> repost:

This is the third time you've posted a 107K article. It'll likely just
get canceled again. Why don't you get an address on one of the anon
servers and offer to mail it to people instead?
--
Shields.

XENOPHOBE

unread,

Mar 6, 1995, 12:40:48 AM3/6/95

In alt.2600, the magical SaveTheInternet wrote this:
~ My previous post was maliciously cancelled by one of the pirates. This is a
~ repost:

oooooohhhhh, *maliciously*!

~ for transfer of illegal pirated software. Recently, however, I have realized
~ the severity of the situation, to the tune of thousands of software pirates
~ using IRC to further their crime. In the past, lists of ftp sites abused to
^^^^^^^^^^^hmmmm, sounds like a wildlife documentary

~ invite only, they are often hard to get into, and because those people will
~ not tolerate anyone who does not take part in their crime, I was not able to
~ stay in long to get detailed logs of their conversations. However, it is
ohhh, that's why! I thought it was just that your an idiot without any
proof! silly me

~ channels for legitimate means. It would seem that the lower numbered
~ (#warez, #warez2) channels are the most exclusive, available to only those
~ thieves with the newest "zero day" pirated software.

eYe aM 33333l333+33!!!!1!!! Look, this guy sounds alot like someone
who's been warned by his sysadmin, and is now trying to coverup by
looking like some kind of crusader.

--
"The history of liberty is a history of the limitation of governmental
power." - WTB: Colorado 250 Jumbo Tape Drive, _must_ be less than $100.

Chris Athans

unread,

Mar 5, 1995, 11:36:30 PM3/5/95

In article <nPrn^jPpJ...@netcom.com>, <Save The Internet> wrote:
>My previous post was maliciously cancelled by one of the pirates. This is a
>repost:
>
> I have had for some time information about the use of the internet
>for transfer of illegal pirated software. Recently, however, I have realized
>the severity of the situation, to the tune of thousands of software pirates
>using IRC to further their crime. In the past, lists of ftp sites abused to
>this end have been posted, I have obtained a list of the people who frequent
>the "warez" IRC channels (#warez, #warez1, #warez2, #warez3, #warez4,
>#warez5, #warez6, and possibly others). Since these channels are usually

Ooooooohh... A list of people on a channel that has a bad name, that's
hard evidence right there..

>invite only, they are often hard to get into, and because those people will
>not tolerate anyone who does not take part in their crime, I was not able to
>stay in long to get detailed logs of their conversations. However, it is

That's a bunch of BS, I know FEDS who hang out warez channels. Just
because you apprear to be an idiot to them and accuse them of doing stuff
you have no proof of, hell. I'd kick you out too..

>quite obvious that they openly trade pirated software (even from spending
>several minutes in the channel, this can be observed) and do not use these
>channels for legitimate means. It would seem that the lower numbered

Quite obvious eh ? If it's so Obvious, where's your proof ? People can say
what they want, it doesn't mean they're going to do it..How can it be
observed? Do you have some means of monitoring DCC connectes betwen people?
Legitimate means ? Where is there an IRC book that defines how to use a
channel.

<Snip>

>
> From /who listings, I am appending a listing of people who have
>frequently been in the #warez* channels. Complete who listings would be
>posted, but they are quite large in volume and duplicates among different
>channels and different IRCNAME's would have to be removed, bringing us back
>to the exact same listing. Names are in standard IRC nick!user@host format,
>a best attempt was made to sort them in reverse (domain, subdomain, host,
>user, nick), to make it easier for administrators to search for their own
>system.
>
> It is *STRONGLY* recommended that administrators of systems in which
>these users are on check their directories for pirated software or
>extremely large disk usage.
>

Yeah sure pal.. Excuse me Mr root and a huge university, I think some
people on your host which contains thousands and thousands of users may
be pirating software. So when you get some free time, between your life,
your work, and your hobbies, I'd appreciate it if you'd check out their
directories.. Yah, that's going to go over real big!

> Gross misuse of the Internet such as this, and the toleration of it,
>brings us one step closer to the regulation of the internet that would

Regulate the internet? Ever hear of encryption ? Are you going to
monitor every encrypted message and file and spend time *trying* to
decrypt it so you can see if there's pirated material enclosed ?

>essentially destroy it. Help work with the anarchy to save it. And if you
>don't care about the net and the millions of people it affects, at least

Don't care about the net and the millions of dollars it effects? I'm not
the one who posted a list of people that was over 3 thousand lines on who
join a channel with a socialy unacceptable name to you. That was
real considerate. I'm sure lots of net admins liked having their diskspace
tied up with that list of babbelings..

>care about yourself and the risk you incur by allowing pirated software to
>be traded through your system, even unknowingly.
>
> It would be much better for the media to learn that a problem was
>recognized and dealt with than for them to report "software piracy runs
>rampant on the Internet, system adminstrators do nothing to stop it." This
>is not a case of free speech or violations of an ancient law, but of a
>serious problem that cannot be ignored.
>

So what do you purpose we do? Spend all of our time monitoring our sites
for pirated material? Quit our jobs, leave or families so we can "crack"
down on software pirates ? The Media and Software companies know
pirating exists on the net and on local bbs's. It would cost too much time
and money to investigate these on a regular basis then to blow it off and
wait for someone get sloppy and get caught.

>3227 line list follows: <SNIP---SNIP---SNIP>

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Uhh.. Wouldn't it have been easier just to say
*!*@* ? It sure as hell would have talken up less disk space.

--
Chris Athans cat...@Starbase.NeoSoft.COM
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-= If You're not living life on the edge of the net,
you're taking up too much bandwidth =-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Judge Dredd

unread,

Mar 6, 1995, 10:22:15 AM3/6/95

keh...@epix.net writes:

>In <3jbesr$2...@werple.mira.net.au>, h...@werple.mira.net.au (Hamish Mogan) writes:
>:>[Bullshit Deleted]

>:>
>:>Look pal, no one give a rats ass about your elite list of warez frequenters
>:>because you are missing one vital ingredient to conviction..
>:>
>:>E V I D E N C E....
>:>
>:>Just because you are on a #warez channel DOESN'T mean that you are commiting
>:>a crime and its whining little nerds like yourself who have ruined IRC.

>Forgive me for this question... But what do the laws of slander say about something
>like this being posted on the net?

>Correct me if I'm wrong, but accusing somebody of something wrong without any
>concrete proof, does that not constitute slander?

I believe it is called libel.

Libel: Defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form
other than by spoken words or gestures.

Correct me if *I'm* wrong, but you *can* be sued for committing libel
against another person without solid evidence. I've seen newspapers pay
the big bucks to persons, for libeling them. I wonder if libel can be
applied to the internet.

Yes, my name is on that list. But you (Mr. Save the Net), the self
proclaimed savior of the internet, cannot just call me a "criminal", or a
"pirate" without solid evidence. Just because I happened to join one of
the #warez channels at the wrong time, does not constitute me to be a
"criminal."

btw, mr. save the net, Get a friggin' life!

will...@meena.cc.uregina.ca

unread,

Mar 4, 1995, 8:10:04 PM3/4/95