Is their plan to they sell it back to them in micro transactions?
Using loot boxes, of course.
Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools
41–50 of 119 posts
Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools
#42Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools
#43I don't think stealing is OK but I hope they managed to liberate C&C Generals 2 while they were in there
Find the long lost Red Alert 2 source code!
Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools
#44Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
I take it you think pirating things is not stealing either?
"Stealing" a digital product implies that every stolen copy is a net loss for the distributor. It's definitely not.
Of course, it's not like if you clone a file on your hard drive 10 times, the manufacturer of what you're cloning loses tenfold. But every person who has used the product without paying for it is such a loss. I don't know what the "every stolen copy" argument has to do with anything. Not everyone who downloaded would have bought. But that can't simply be calculated with some neat "every stolen copy" slogan. It is an argument to justify the thieves.
Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools
#46Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
I take it you think pirating things is not stealing either?
for me stealing implies change of possession. this does not apply here. what might have been taken is the possibility to monetize it the way they imagined or that they had been hurt by the PR afterwards and similar things. but nothing has been stolen everything is still in place were it was before and nothing is missing except for some of the confidence in their infrastructure security.
"Hello, I'm calling to report that the 16-digit sequence, expiration date, and 3-digit security code of my credit card have been replicated and are now known to persons whom I did not give permission to utilize."
"Sir, are you calling because your credit card was stolen?"
"It was not stolen!! I still retain possession."
Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools
#48> "Anytime source code gets leaked it's not good," said Ekram Ahmed, a spokesperson for the cybersecurity firm Check Point. "Hackers can comb through the code, identify deeper flaws for exploit, and sell that previous code on the dark web to malicious threat actors." This seems like a strong argument against using open source codes. Should I take this argument seriously and avoid them?
I wish I could find the tweets, but I've heard multiple times already from people reverse engineering software - it doesn't matter that much. With enough experience some actually prefer the disassembled / processed graph view of the real executed code rather than potentially more complex multiple levels of abstraction in the source. I'm sure it will be contentious and not everyone will agree, but at least it shows that the barrier really isn't that large.
But even then you have the whole area of protocol reverse engineering and data fuzzing which doesn't require the source at all.
Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
it is likely that way because it is an argument that often comes up when discussing losses accumulated through piracy. were the argument typically is that not every copy should be accounted for a loss of sale. it does not really apply here because this game will probably sell the same amount as before someone got a hold of the code. And if it does not its likely because of some second order issue arising like not bei…
I suppose. But, this has very little to do with piracy. The source code wasn't acquired in order to compile bootleg versions of the game, and thus leading to loss of sales. This is the illegal gain of someone else's intellectual property. "Stealing" is a reasonable word to use in this context.
But the wider point is that "intellectual property" cannot effectively be "stolen", only "unlawfully obtained or reproduced". Nobody is ever deprived of IP or even its legally-created exploitation rights; it's only the market value of such IP that is allegedly affected.
I reckon we need a new word. "Pirating" has sort-of taken that space but it's not really good and it only covers distribution. It should be something that carries a meaning of "swindled", "wiped away", "theoretic-market-value-corrupted".
Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, he's being a bit stupid, security through obscurity is arguably no security at all however it makes identifying vulnerabilities _easier_. The main issue for leaking source code of _games_, especially _multiplayer games_, is that people learn how to bypass the anti-cheat mechanisms which leads to a degraded online experience for everybody. I worked on Tom Clancy's The Division and the mantra was always "write code…
There is much simpler solution about cheaters. Local servers to play on lan. Many games came with them.
And other alternative is allow non official servers, then you can rent a server for yourself and invite your friends or make it public but you have the admin rights and options to configure it (like reducing the grind).
The multiplayer part of some games made the single player section worse, because of the drastic anti-cheating measures.