StarForce has been checked. No root-kits found

January 19, 2006

Since the Sony rootkit fiasco, there have been rumors a flyin' that this software protection software uses rootkits as well. Therefore, to squelch the ignorance, the StarForce folks have had their wares independantly tested and given a clean bill of health. No malware. Well, actually a "well-known online magazine" asked Mark Russinovich, the guy that blew the whistle on Sony to take a peek and 'check-out" StarForce for root-kits or any other malwares. He ought to know!

Independent tests showed that StarForce copy protection contains no malware.

The international IT community will not quickly forget the incident with Sony BMG at the end of 2005. The root-kits discovered in music CDs' copy protection forced Sony to call back millions of discs and suffer serious losses.

Mark Russinovich was the main character of the story. It was him who one day discovered the root-kits and woke up famous the next morning.

Soon after the story with Sony calmed down a well-known online magazine asked Mark to 'check-out" StarForce for root-kits or any other malwares.

After detailed examination of copy-protection installed by StarForce Mark came to the conclusion that StarForce protection contains zero root-kits or malwares. While the fact that StarForce drivers have to be sometimes uninstalled separately from the protected application is a bit annoying, it is not the StarForce's responsibility, but the developer's.

This conclusion together with the online contest again show that accusations about StarForce protection damaging PCs or operation systems have absolutely no ground.

StarForce Technologies

On the other net
rumor and resulting challenge from the protection company from Russia: Win a free trip to Moscow if you can be the first to show your rig was hosed by StarForce! There are also a lot of claims concerning DVD/CD writers malfunctioning after installation and start-up of StarForce protected applications. Prove your case to StarForce and you can take home $5000.00 plus expenses. So far, not one application has been filed at the StarForce web contest hangout, even after 43.000 views, so they upped the ante from 1000 dollars to 5000! Kinda funny that they started at $1000.00 and now they are thinking, "Hell, maybe it really doesn't screw over a PC! Let's raise the prize money!".

Source: StarForce