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Ubisoft uPlay Security Flaw

[Jul 30, 2012, 11:25 am ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

Computer and Video Games has follow-up on reports of a vulnerability in Ubisoft's uPlay service that could possibly allow the access of files on user's PCs. The story reflects initial impressions that this may have been included intentionally as a rootkit DRM, but they have subsequent comments from researchers indicating they think this was more likely an unintentionally security mess-up (thanks Joao). There's a follow up note on Kotaku on how to clean this out of your system if you are "infected" (thanks nin).

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29.

Re: Ubisoft uPlay Security Flaw

Jul 30, 2012, 17:27

Mordecai Walfish

Creston wrote on Jul 30, 2012, 17:12:
jacobvandy wrote on Jul 30, 2012, 14:45:
Creston wrote on Jul 30, 2012, 14:36:
What's really baffling is that people apparently said "Yes, that sounds like a GREAT IDEA!" when uplay asked if it could install plugins in their browsers...

Users mindlessly clicking "yes" is the number one reason why PCs are so horribly infected with all kinds of shit.

Creston

Unfortunately, when Steam does the 'first time setup' installation of whatever various runtimes and add-on apps the publisher wants the player to have, it's almost always done in the background with no dialog windows at all...

Admittedly, the only game I ever had that installed Uplay was the latest Assassin's Creed, and I got that outside of Steam. And it simply asked me "Do you want to install our wonderful Uplay add-ins for your browser? It will let you do really awesome stuff, like... ehm... well... erm, really AMAZING STUFF!!!!"

I guess I didn't think about Steam just forcing that shit straight onto your computer. THANKS STEAM!

Creston

I can attest to this, I only had the uplay plugin from installing Anno 2070 a couple weeks ago for the Summer Sale on Steam. No notification of browser plugins whatsoever.

I would leave it up to the publisher/producer to make these kinds of options available to opt-out, as Valve/Steam cannot police the install routines of every installation to prevent them from installing browser plugins. I would say the trust is more broken from UBI (who has control of how their installer deploys, after the initial steam layer)




Playing: MechWarrior Online, Natural Selection 2, PlanetSide 2, NFS: Hot Pursuit, Torchlight 2, Sine Mora, GTAIV, River City Ransom(NES), Final Fantasy IV Complete(PSP), Patapon 2(PSP), Dariusburst(PSP)

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