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WilliamWatts on 17 February 2010
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Katilian said:
WilliamWatts said:

You're assuming they aren't familiar with that method to counter-act this type of system because????

Because any methods to counter-act this exist in the code that is being modified anyway (which is why DRM is fundamentally flawed).

Here is a basic runthrough of how the crackers will get around "remote" saving:

1) Trace the packets between the client and the server. If what is sent to the server is the same as what is returned (i.e the client produces the save then just sends it to the server), then all I need to do is get the client to connect to my local server which saves off the packet and sends it back when asked. This is probably all they will actually be doing.

2) If the packets differ, figure out if its some sort of encryption.

2a) If it is encrypted, remove the encryption and decryption algorithms from the client and get it sending the raw save to my local server.

3) If the return packet differs (after decryption if required) then look at how the client processes this packet and map the original packets contents to the return packet.

4) If keen, they can also try and modify the client to write directly to a file instead, however the server method would allow a more generic solution for other games using the same system.

If there are any mechanics to detect modification beyond the already modified functionality they shall just be removed/modified anyway.

Public Key encryption of any quality would take at least a month of solid effort to crack. By that time the damage typically done by piracy would be averted.

Obviously they would use encryption.

Obviously they would ensure that the data recieved back from the server was not identical to the data sent.

Not every packet sent would have to be relevant, but it would waste their time making them figure out each one.

The victory is not perfect protection. The victory is in if they can slow down piracy for a few weeks and let themselves sell their products without the need to compete with pirated material. In addition to this, if the effort required is substantial enough then smaller releases would never be cracked due to the effort required unless the the release groups can develop a method which is portable to all games using this methodology.