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Hollywood Wants Right to Use Malware Against Pirates
Thinks Congress Should Start Talking About it
The almost-respectfully-sounding Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property (read: the entertainment industry) has come up with a new 84 page report (pdf) that has a few curious recommendations for Congress. Among them is the request by the industry that they be allowed to use malware, trojans, and other countermeasures against pirates. That includes the use of so-called "ransomware," which would allow the entertainment industry to lock down your computer and all of your files -- until you purportedly confess to downloading copyrighted materials:
quote:
Additionally, software can be written that will allow only authorized users to open files containing valuable information. If an unauthorized person accesses the information, a range of actions might then occur. For example, the file could be rendered inaccessible and the unauthorized user’s computer could be locked down, with instructions on how to contact law enforcement to get the password needed to unlock the account. Such measures do not violate existing laws on the use of the Internet, yet they serve to blunt attacks and stabilize a cyber incident to provide both time and evidence for law enforcement to become involved.
And it gets more interesting:
quote:
While not currently permitted under US law, there are increasing calls for creating a more permissive environment for active network defence that allows companies not only to stabilise a situation, but to take further steps, including actively retrieving stolen information, altering it within the intruder's networks or even destroying the information within an unauthorised network. Additional measures go further, including photographing the hacker using his own system's camera, implanting malware in the hacker's network, or even physically disabling or destroying the hacker's own computer or network.
While the report does proceed to suggest not all of these approaches may be practical right now, it does suggest that we begin having "informed deliberations" on allowing companies to take more aggressive counter-measures for those who engage in intellectual property theft.
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cpsycho
join:2008-06-03
Treadeu Land

1 edit

1 recommendation

cpsycho

Member

Someone kick these idiots in the teeth

Are these guys fucking morons? Lets infect people. Real scripter gets a hold of the virus and actually turns it into something really crazy.

I can see this starting to get passed around in an email as well. How is this even not against existing laws? Oh wait I forgot, if your a corporation you have a different set of laws.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Someone kick these idiots in the teeth

said by cpsycho:

How is this even not against existing laws?

It is against the law. That is why they are considering asking that the law be changed.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72 to cpsycho

Member

to cpsycho
This will fly until one of there programs goes crazy or deletes a person's personal file then the lawsuits will fly. It will end these people unless they legislate it, and they know it.

Remember the Sony discs, and I can go on that put spyware on people's computers. They'll just keep trying....

This of course is already done by the government, so it's not a stretch for these companies to simply use that technology against us.

And then I think of the Xbox One always on Kinect and think that there is no way to stop this barrage of privacy violation unless the populace gets REALLY PISSED. A few techno nerds just ain't gonna do it (well maybe some hackers). Who knows what DRM scheme MSFT is cooking up, but I assume they want to go the way of the media companies and that means no reselling digital downloads. I can only imagine that in a few years (or less) you will have to authenticate using your body to even play a game. Goodbye Microsoft.

So now I have yet another form of media I can save my money on and do something else with my hard earned $$$.
dra6o0n
join:2011-08-15
Mississauga, ON

dra6o0n

Member

Re: Someone kick these idiots in the teeth

Hackers will fight back against Hollywood on this, and the latter will realize how big of a threat they just pissed off on the internet.

Not sure if Black Hats would go with the flow since it'd make them profitable in 'offering' their hacking and malware services to publishers.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK

KrK to cpsycho

Premium Member

to cpsycho
Wonder why they would want to do this to all their own machines?
dra6o0n
join:2011-08-15
Mississauga, ON

dra6o0n to cpsycho

Member

to cpsycho
I can see this becoming a REAL problem... Black hats offering themselves to corporations like Hollywood to break in and steal and cause chaos to 'innocent' pirates... LOL!

pclover
join:2008-08-02
Santa Cruz, CA

1 edit

pclover

Member

WTF?

Invasion of privacy + this is illegal AFIK under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

This won't pass.

Also, How would this be installed on computers?

Lets compromise the security of computers YAY!

buzz_4_20
join:2003-09-20
Dover, NH

buzz_4_20

Member

Re: WTF?

It would be installed from DVDs that were purchased.

That'll keep everyone buying.

Jon5
Premium Member
join:2001-01-20
Lisle, IL

Jon5 to pclover

Premium Member

to pclover
said by pclover:

Invasion of privacy + this is illegal AFIK under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

This won't pass.

Also, How would this be installed on computers?

It's only illegal until Congress says it's not. And It would probably get installed through fake downloads.
tcope
Premium Member
join:2003-05-07
Sandy, UT

tcope to pclover

Premium Member

to pclover
I suspect even if the companies paid enough money to get it to pass (gee... that's never happened) that the courts would eventually need to rule it's illegal to do. Though it would take a boatload of money and time to get to this decision.
old_wiz_60
join:2005-06-03
Bedford, MA

old_wiz_60 to pclover

Member

to pclover
Fair chance of it getting passed since the movie industry owns a lot of people in Congress and pays them well. The movie industry only cares about themselves anyway.
raythompsontn
join:2001-01-11
Oliver Springs, TN

1 recommendation

raythompsontn

Member

Should be a two way street

If these cretins should mistakenly lock down or otherwise hamper a user's computer because of a false positive, the industry should be held liable for a felony charge of tampering with a computer and subject to substantial civil penalties awarded to the affected user.

pclover
join:2008-08-02
Santa Cruz, CA

pclover

Member

Re: Should be a two way street

Good luck with that.

twadle
@sbcglobal.net

twadle to raythompsontn

Anon

to raythompsontn
+1
This industry is getting Waaaay out of hand with their continuous attack on our rights. It's not bad enough to have to sit through 15 minutes of previews to watch a legitimately purchased(should I say right to view) movie plus another minute or two of the Piracy screen they insert. Their music is, for the most part, over produced, over hyped and lacking in real talent or quality content. NOW they want to have the legal authority to infect a "suspected" copyright violator? What happens if they make a mistake or this ability gets out in the wild? Let me suggest: you infect a computer/system/network and that it is proven that no violation occurred. In return your corporation is seized by the local authorities and sold to pay the aggrieved victim, court costs and the rest goes into a LOCAL general fund(NOT WASHINGTON), your CEO and board of directors goes to prison for terrorism(Computer tampering).

TamaraB
Question The Current Paradigm
Premium Member
join:2000-11-08
Da Bronx
·Verizon FiOS
Ubiquiti NSM5
Synology RT2600ac
Apple AirPort Extreme (2013)

TamaraB

Premium Member

Re: Should be a two way street

said by twadle :

+1
This industry is getting Waaaay out of hand with their continuous attack on our rights. It's not bad enough to have to sit through 15 minutes of previews to watch a legitimately purchased(should I say right to view) movie plus another minute or two of the Piracy screen they insert. Their music is, for the most part, over produced, over hyped and lacking in real talent or quality content.

They have become the veritable poster child for piracy itself! They will cease their fascist nonsense when idiot Joe public ceases to support them by refusing to purchase their defective products.

We need a re-think, and a re-write of copyright laws themselves!

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
Netgear WNDR3700v2
Zoom 5341J

KrK

Premium Member

Re: Should be a two way street

Everyone needs hacked firmware for their Blu-Ray and DVD players that will *gasp* actually SKIP, Pause, Stop and Fast Forward when you press the button. Wow, what a concept..... your machine actually does what you want.... WEIRD

I know, I'm a communist pirate for even suggesting such a thing.

TamaraB
Question The Current Paradigm
Premium Member
join:2000-11-08
Da Bronx
·Verizon FiOS
Ubiquiti NSM5
Synology RT2600ac
Apple AirPort Extreme (2013)

TamaraB

Premium Member

Re: Should be a two way street

said by KrK:

Everyone needs hacked firmware for their Blu-Ray and DVD players ....

Here is the core of the problem however. If you continue to buy Blu-Ray disks and DVDs, you are agreeing with, and financially supporting, the policies and practices of the very people you are railing against. The answer is not to hack the firmware, but to stop buying their crap!

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK

KrK

Premium Member

Re: Should be a two way street

But that mkles you a communist pirate

Camelot One
MVM
join:2001-11-21
Bloomington, IN

Camelot One to raythompsontn

MVM

to raythompsontn
said by raythompsontn:

If WHEN these cretins should mistakenly lock down or otherwise hamper a user's computer completely f*&k up a user's personal property to extort money because of a false positive, the industry should, but won't be held liable for a felony charge of tampering with a computer, extortion, racketeering, and subject to substantial civil penalties awarded to the affected user.

Fixed it for you.
The industry won't do this without Congress also passing a law making them immune to any sort of accountability. Not that getting such a law will be hard, it will just take a little more lobbying money.
The alternative, and much cheaper method, would be to get the FCC to claim jurisdiction over this type of activity and pass regulation against it, which the industry can just ignore without any risk of enforcement.
raythompsontn
join:2001-01-11
Oliver Springs, TN

raythompsontn

Member

I stand corrected

said by Camelot One:

Fixed it for you.

Indeed. I have no doubt your corrections are correct.

FutureMon
Dude Whats mine say?

join:2000-10-05
Marina, CA

FutureMon to raythompsontn

to raythompsontn
said by raythompsontn:

If these cretins should mistakenly lock down or otherwise hamper a user's computer because of a false positive, the industry should be held liable for a felony charge of tampering with a computer and subject to substantial civil penalties awarded to the affected user.

All it will take is for them to lock down a lawyers computer and prevent him from accessing his documents for that mornings court appearances... Then they'll really have a problem. Not only would it affect the lawyer, but his clients as well...

- FM

Heh213
join:2012-06-16

Heh213

Member

Just so nobody forgets

These types of people wouldn't mind using it on their "Paying" customers either.

»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So ··· _scandal

buzz_4_20
join:2003-09-20
Dover, NH
(Software) Sophos UTM Home Edition
Ruckus R310

1 recommendation

buzz_4_20

Member

Yet again, Piracy is more Consumer Friendly

You know that any pirated content won't have any of this, (when gotten from reputable sources).

All this kind of technology does is push some further into the Piracy ecosystem.
Instead of being a good consumer and buying some while pirating others many will give up on buying to keep from getting thier computer locked down with the **AA's own malware.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

spy vs spy

in this case, regardless.. there are already anti-hacking laws on the books (some put in place by the DMCA itself) that could be used to go after individuals & companies engaged in this activity..

however, to give an industry "immunity" from criminal & civil prosecution is a dangerous precedent already afforded by several industries in the USA.. and this slope's already begun to slide making the country we have today trying to export it's laws & values upon other countries.
jacour
Premium Member
join:2001-12-11
Matthews, NC

1 recommendation

jacour

Premium Member

Feasible?

So how many nanoseconds will elapse before somebody writes an application similar to existing anti-virus or anti-malware scanners to identify the signature of these programs? Copy protection has been around since Lotus 1-2-3 required a "system disk" in the floppy drive to boot the program. That was 1983 (yes, thirty years ago) and this kind of silliness continues - - - and still doesn't stop the determined from copying content.

What is next, a customized hardware dongle that you have to insert to watch movies that you own?
ds7
join:2012-11-07
Montpelier, VT

ds7

Member

I support this initiative...

As long as it affects only willing customers of these companies. Buy one of the Hollywood discs, sign up for their online services (?), any contract with them, and you agree to the trojan-ware, and that's fine.

I would merely insist on everyone else being free from it:
1. Non-users of the entertainment products must be guaranteed immune.
2. There must be an easy way for victims of false accusations to recover costs, plus punitive damages.
3. Deliberately or negligently false accusations should result in expensive fines, criminal charges, and loss of copyrights for the companies deploying the malware.

This would be basic fairness. Somehow I'm not finding these essential protections in the proposal.
TheMG
Premium Member
join:2007-09-04
Canada
MikroTik RB450G
Cisco DPC3008
Cisco SPA112

1 recommendation

TheMG

Premium Member

Re: I support this initiative...

Yeah, let's install garbage malware on legitimate paying customer's computers. Perfectly fair.

Have you been living under a rock the last decade? Look at all the DRM that has been implemented to try to stop pirates. Has it stopped piracy? Not at all. However, it has becomes a HUGE inconvenience for legitimate customers.

Look at Blu-Ray for example, and the need to download firmware/software updates (which aren't always available in a timely fashion) just to be able to play newer movies. Tell me that is not inconveniencing legitimate consumers.

Why in the HELL, would I, a legitimate customer, want to have their crap malware installed on my computer?!?!?!??
ds7
join:2012-11-07
Montpelier, VT

ds7

Member

Re: I support this initiative...

Maybe the spirit of my comment was unclear.

Yes, the media companies have been foisting all the DRM they could come up with for many years, and in essence it is the same sort of thing as "malware". What causes different laws to apply to these actors than to bot-herders is the fact that they get nominal "consent" thru the "EULA" type of scam - click thru and you "agree" to the fine print.

My point is that now they propose to deploy this tactic against people who aren't even doing business with them (whom they merely suspect are infringing).

Hopefully, passing a law like this this would make legislators look so odious to the public that they won't go for it. If they do, I don't think they will provide any remedy for "collateral damage" victims.

The USG has been trying to instigate a "cyber war", and deputizing the Hollywood copyright freaks to hack arbitrary people's computers would bring it on.
Chubbysumo
join:2009-12-01
Duluth, MN

Chubbysumo

Member

So many ways around this...

This sounds like the current MoneyPak/FakeBI virus going around, I wonder where or where could these retards have gotten their ideas.
MaynardKrebs
We did it. We heaved Steve. Yipee.
Premium Member
join:2009-06-17

MaynardKrebs

Premium Member

Let them have the law....

....only put in the legislation that if ANY national security breach is traced back to a Sony, MGM, etc..... rootkit, the entire board of those companies are put on trial for treason and executed if convicted.

not again
@twtelecom.net

not again

Anon

Nuts

Malware goes bad and infects dvd players computers then spreads. Skynet could be a reality. Anything that is network connected could spread the virus.

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
Premium Member
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

skeechan

Premium Member

I'd like to use a baseball bat...

...against racketeers serial extortionists. Congress should start talking about it. I think the people should thinking about making contributions in exchange for favorable laws a capital crime and end the career of any politician who disagrees.
skeechan

skeechan

Premium Member

DOJ and MAFIAA should be first on the list

Given they're both serial pirates. Time to cut of their Internet services. Then perhaps the DOJ couldn't go after journalists who disagree with the most corrupt administration in the history of history.
TechnoGeek
join:2013-01-07

TechnoGeek

Member

Linux FTW

Glad I'm using Linux then.

Good luck a) getting spyware on my computer, b) getting it to run, and c) getting it to do anything without me knowing.

Oh, sorry, I have to have DRM installed to view the DVD? No problem, I'll just rip it. Since DRM is turning into malware, I now have a dandy excuse to bypass it.

Like any of this is going to stop piracy. Wonder where they are going to outsource the rootkit dev to? Maybe China? They surely wouldn't take advantage of such a large rootkit install base...

So much freedom lost for so little gain and so much potential harm.

jmn1207
Premium Member
join:2000-07-19
Sterling, VA

jmn1207

Premium Member

Silly Plan

Meanwhile, there are already multitudes of nefarious organizations and individuals that are attempting to get people to download malware disguised as popular media.

How is this going to make a difference?
clone (banned)
join:2000-12-11
Portage, IN

clone (banned)

Member

Re: Silly Plan

It's different solely because of the source. When corporations and governments claim they need to use spyware on their customers and citizens in the name of "protection", to me anyway, is magnitudes more nefarious than when the "bad guys" do it.

At least when the bad guys do it, I know there are companies (antivirus, antimalware, etc.) that are actively trying to defeat them. When it's legitimate business and government, I'm sure laws will be passed to make it illegal to remove or circumvent the malware.

Every day that my personally owned equipment is being turned further against me, it pushes me closer to just saying to hell with the internet, to hell with the cloud, smartphones, all of it. I'll pull the plug and to back to a good, old-fashioned dumbphone and a TV antenna. I'll listen to the radio for music, and read more books.

pixlz
@sbcglobal.net

pixlz

Anon

wow

So... there's already Malware that poses as this type of software. I had to clear my brothers computer of something particularly nasty, which snapped his picture using his webcam and gave an FBI warning etc. Dangerous.

PamelaTS
Digital Chick
join:2004-04-20
Dallas, TX
Asus RT-AC66
HTC 5G Hub

1 recommendation

PamelaTS

Member

In some states this is a FELONY

In Texas this is called "Harmful Access" just like a disgruntled employee leaving a ticking time bomb behind should they lose their job. This is criminal, fighting a criminal act with another criminal act is still wrong. Heck it almost makes martyrs of the pirates.

For instance if say my kid unbeknownst to me downloads what he thinks a pirated work and instead downloads their malware he didn't commit piracy, they in fact did commit a felony by hijacking via "HARMFUL ACCESS" my computer.

This has potential of massive FRAUD om their part, it's unbelievable. Whats to say a whoops moment doesn't trigger a false lock-down because of glitch with DRM that mistakes a legit digital copy from a bluray/dvd locks up or trashes my computer.

Kilroy
MVM
join:2002-11-21
Saint Paul, MN

Kilroy

MVM

Read the document

Most of the document is about IP theft by China. That is how this is going to get passed by congress, since they can't sell the for the children angle, they have to go for the national security angle.

TechyDad
Premium Member
join:2001-07-13
USA

1 recommendation

TechyDad

Premium Member

Re: Read the document

Even assuming this (and assuming the entertainment industry doesn't stretch the law to make it apply to us citizens - yeah, I know, BIG assumption there), letting private industry hack the computers of foreign nation's citizens seems very bad. This kind of thing will result in the industry and our citizens being the targets of retaliatory hack attempts (at best) and threats of war (at worst). (I don't think anyone would go to war over the MPAA hacking some foreign citizens, but it could make some already tense foreign relations worse.)

TwiztedZero
Nine Zero Burp Nine Six
Premium Member
join:2011-03-31
Toronto, ON

TwiztedZero

Premium Member

I want to balance the spongy bit on the spiky bit.

And this should it become reality, will just lead to a more aggressive "Arms Race" against the copyright maximalists and their overbearing corporate greed machine.

Its one thing to crack down on the large black market comercial counterfeit rings that mass produce & distribute copyright infringed works in an organized underworld style of distribution and trafficking.

Its another thing to go after your ordinary individual citizen(s), especially for pure monetary purposes with thinly veiled schoolyard style shakedowns of malicious vexatious litigation in the tradition of the likes of Prenda & Canipre which pretty much ammounts to racketeering for gain.

I'm of the Opinion that the Hollywoodian Corporate Machine should leave the ordinary citizen(s) alone and focus their efforts on putting their litigation to work on stomping the big black market mass-counterfeit traffickers instead.

I'm also, as many others are, in favour of the copyright maximinalists adopting a modern approach to their business model and adapt to current advances in technology instead of continuing to stubbornly rely on their old world style corporate business practice.

Of course, such ideals will continue to go on unheard by the majority of corporatists.

Hey! It's still 'We the people,' right??

Anon9817
@qwest.net

Anon9817

Anon

Re: I want to balance the spongy bit on the spiky bit.

I think you're still kidding yourself, even with that distinction. There's no counterfeit involved when I say "This movie was made by MGM, here's the IMDB link. Download away."

And it's hardly a black market. As the saying goes, why pay for it if you can get it for free. Black markets just leak into the public torrent sites, filehosts, and message boards that barely/don't break even doing what they do.

More importantly, frankly I don't see a distinction between commercial copyright infringement and noncommercial. If people want to make money making my entertainment more:
• Distributable (available from day one worldwide, high speed downloads)
• More consumable (free from format/device restrictions, non limited by government trade sanctions or market gaps)
• More easily distinguished from poor quality stuff (using numerous rating and comment functions, immensely independent from censorship or the usual paid raiting bias)
then I fully support them. Because you know what? They never spend the money lobbying for shit like this.

meeeeeeeeee
join:2003-07-13
Newburgh, NY

meeeeeeeeee

Member

I suppose this is better than their original idea...

to make all computers (and other devices with the ability to play pirated media) capable of being remotely detonated with enough explosive force to take out an average city block. I guess that pesky "co lateral damage" thing would have come up again...

When will people understand that the mission here is to protect copyrights?...At ANY COST!
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