Star Lose/Lose: Art or a Trojan?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 5th Nov 2009 17:29 UTC
Bugs & Viruses Computers are taking on ever more important roles in our daily lives. They used to be simple tools to get simple things done - work-related, mostly, maybe a few simple games, and that was it. However, over time, they have become the central hubs for all sorts of data - including precious data. For his Master of Fine Arts thesis project, Zach Gage illustrated just how important our computer data has become.
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RE[5]: Puh-lease
by n4cer on Sun 8th Nov 2009 18:36 UTC in reply to "RE[4]: Puh-lease"
n4cer
Member since:
2005-07-06

I agree that users SHOULD read onscreen notices, but the reality is that they DON'T. It's one of the reasons why malware has become such a persistent problem. Perhaps a better way to evaluate this software is to examine its purpose. IMHO, it was created to create chaos and destroy data -- no different than any other malicious malware. Even if there's a disclaimer.


Plus, what if someone with malicious intent repackages this software (standalone or with a collection of other games, for example) and removes the notices of data loss? Better to be proactive and detect it now, and I agree, it should be classed as malware. Even if not the developer's intent, people don't expect a game to delete their data.

A Symantec rep in the CNET article actually mentions this scenario:

"We are concerned that somebody could take this and modify it in some way where users aren't aware of the consequences," Kevin Haley, director of product management at Symantec Security Response, said in an interview on Wednesday. "We want to make people aware of what's on their machine and they can make the decision on whether to run it or not."

Edited 2009-11-08 18:37 UTC

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