Reporting pirate update servers

Yeah, but most people don't care if they don't have an immediate profit out of this, I think... and survival of Eset is important enough, as well...

It won't make ME vulnerable, as I'm behind NOD32 (and lots of other sofware) ... as for the pirates, I don't care...

Me too. And I'm a proud owner since last December. It is really worth it.

 

Pirates will just install cracked versions instead.
Untill eset can stop this they will lose out.

 

While I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment (let's face it, dishonest people will always attempt to justify themselves by saying that their theft is for the good of all), your argument is false.

If a virus can turn off an AV program, why would it want to do so?? If it can turn it off then it has already bypassed that AVs protection, so there is no need for it to turn off the AV.

The same argument applies to other security progs too.

 

The fact that someone who gets an equal benefit as you for free, now either has to pay, or lose the benefit - that doesn't make the valid/licensed user ANY MORE VULNERABLE.

How would that diminish the protection of us?

I see how it might increase the risk for those that could don't have NOD32 - but not those that have it...

 

Yeah, being stripped of your AV carries a certain danger.

 

I disagree. Just because a certain piece of a virus can bypass security protection does not mean that its payload can also evade it. As an analogy, think of a secret military operation sent into enemy territory to disable radar installations and sabotage communication equipment. Once this small team of specialists has done its job, it is much easier for the rest of the army to invade.

 

But does ANYONE care how protected/at risk someone who STOLE the software is? I mean, is it something that you, I, or any LEGAL owner of a NOD32 license should:

a. have empathy for
b. feel guilty about
c. worry about their own protect because of it?

I think not...

 

Wrong - any virus that their illegitimate copy would have caught would also obviously be caught by my licensed version. They aren't going to be able to protect me from some spreading virus that my version won't get.. your argument makes as much sense as a styrofoam sledgehammer - nobody can see the use except the guy trying to sell it ;-)

 

a cracked version is little use if it can't get definition updates.

With a reasonable static piece of software, such as a graphic program, it's not that big a deal if you don't get updates - with a protection tool, you need to get updates, as the threats increase/mutate daily.

Do you care if someone is running a year old cracked AV solution with no update ability - they're the ones deluding themselves that they are safe - in the end, someone who thinks their computer isn't worth protecting properly will get what they deserve.

However - a cracked version with the ability to access updates for free - that's got to stomped on - and then, if the user thinks the software is worthwhile, they'll either find another way to get their updates, find another solution - or become a REGISTERED, PAID UP user of the software.

Obviously, if they do the latter - we all benefit - as Eset will have MORE RESOURCES to throw at protecting us all!

 

I dont think that users of a pirated NOD32 would want to peddle around suspicious sites for a new crack of NOD32 every time a new component upgrade is released (and possibly get their PCs infected in the process)...

I am happy to own a legal license of NOD32.

 

道高一仗，魔高一尺！
盗版万岁！万岁！万万岁！

 

Who is able to translate ?

 

Maybe it is a code that only Nod32 pirates can understand

 

Google translates as

"High one weaponry, evil spirit height one foot! Pirates long live! Long live! 万万岁!"

Obvious really when you look at it long enough

 

yes if it is Chinese, but in japanese it said:
"Road high one 仗, demon high one shaku! Stealing edition ten thousand? Ten thousand? 万万?"
maybe google is a little disturbed

 

It actually means that even if you can close this ****, there will always be solutions to 'cracking' it. Hurray to pirates and hurray forever!
Something like that.

 

You cant fight pirates and win - but that dont mean u shouldnt fight them. But if that fight makes your product less user friendly to the paying user - then you have lost me as a customer. ( adobe pain in the ass crap for instance )


/DaK/

 

I just wonder what will come out as next.... A headhunting program in the ol' good wild west style

 

Why should cracked versions need pirate servers.
People making uninformed coments should realise they are the latest trial versions,that are cracked,so they last after 30 days,and update in a normal way,through the trial servers.
To stop these, eset needs to stop trial versions being updated in this way ,or shut down all p2p programes.

 

I don't know. I don't think it's a good idea for people to go looking for pirate servers and such. I got a virus just visiting the wrong site (link) in a google search for legit software.

 

I find this witchhunt scary, at the least. Let them go. If eset really has troubles from pirated versions, well, they shouldn't be in business at all. But the fact that NOD32 is a strong AV program makes me believe that Eset can live from the people who are paying for their licenses.

 

Because the updates are served from update servers which are Eset owned. A valid username/password is required. If a username/password gets compromised, it's trivial to track the number of people using it - contact the original owner, give them a new u/p and terminate the abused one.

How would a cracked version of ANY software get past update server side authentication of a username/password - other than using a currently valid one? The very act of connecting to an official server leaves a trail, which can be audited.

Even a "cracked trial" version will have to contact an update server - I seem to recall that the update server for trials is different- adding tracking to those connections will certainly help, and abusive fixed IP connections for more than the trial period can be pulled from the logfiles VERY easily. Proxies and anonymizers would make the job more difficult to track though... this is probably about as far as needs to be discussed here - the fact that there are those out there getting for free the hard work of others, and the same benefits that many thousands pay for legitimately, is enough reason to put in place measures to prevent it... end of story!

 

Well,

I've seen some cracked version of NOD, but Eset said sending it to them won't help so much.

 

Donkid,

I think that's because once it's out there - it's out there. If a cracked version can't get updates though... what use is it?

regards

Greg