4 ms·

Hacking Windows 8 Games

38 points by yread 14y ago

kybernetyk 14y ago
Article seems gone. Here's a cached version (though some of the pictures won't load): http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:justinangel.net/HackingWindows8Games http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:justina...
- icebraining 14y ago
  I had it still in my browser's cache, so here's a copy with images: http://hckcacher.staticloud.com/ http://hckcacher.staticloud.com/
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
- hegothacked 14y ago
  It appears the homepage got hacked actually - http://justinangel.net http://justinangel.net
Scene_Cast2 14y ago
A good rule of thumb is that if only the user "knows" something, it can be cracked & hacked. I'm sure that if a similarly-protected app (no server-side checks) is there on Android, one would be able to crack it with some work. Sure, one may argue that it's harder on Android - but that's besides the point (and the trade off between power and locked-down-ness) I haven't done mobile dev - are there any built-in DRM features that developers can use?
JuDue 14y ago
True almost every security layer is crackable. The idea is to make buying an app more convenient than the effort and time involved in cracking. Not sure Windows8 apps are there yet, reading this. Will undoubtably be addressed in future updates, but a little scary how easy the hacks were.
- icebraining 14y ago
  The idea is to make buying an app more convenient than the effort and time involved in cracking. Buying an app was always more convenient than cracking. The problem is making it more convenient than downloading an already cracked copy.
RyanZAG 14y ago
Hardly matters if the hack is easy or hard. In either case, someone who enjoys hacking things will hack it (and the more difficult to hack the more enjoyment and so more likely to be hacked). Once a single person cracks a piece of software, they can upload it to tpb or similar and now everyone has it cracked. So keeping the hacks as easy as possible with as minimal impact to paying customers is the correct way to do it. Having it be a little text file you edit that flags something as bought or not is the perfect way, as support can easily instruct users with difficulties to flip the switch themselves. Making it difficult doesn't help anybody - people who want to pirate WILL download a pirated torrent. Don't give them reason to do this by making your version of the game worse than the pirated copy!! NB!!
- JuDue 14y ago
  Except not every OS makes it easy to install third party hacks. Or as beneficial. Jailbreaking iOS is quite a step for the majority of users, and means relinquishing the benefits and ease of the Store. Arguably, if this article is any indication, elements of Win8 are not secure enough to outweigh the benefits of these quick and simple hacks. Having said that, Win8 is less of a closed minimal mobile system, and probably better compared to OSX. Desktop with a tablet layer bolted on.
  - RyanZAG 14y ago
    Disagree - piracy on iOS (especially for games) is exceptionally high. The generic nature of iOS protection means that once a device is jailbroken any cracked app can be installed simply and easily. There are numerous cracked app stores that make it just as easy as the Apple Store to install games. People who want to pirate WILL pirate. By creating the locked-down system on iOS, you force people who wish to change the feel of the dashboard to jailbreak their devices. They then install a couple Winterboard themes onto their device and at the same time, they come into contact with some nice games that they can tap a button to crack and install for free. This actually creates pirates by forcing them to become pirates to simply improve their device's theme. Same for removing carrier bloatware on Android - people will root their device to remove bloatware. Once rooted, they can easily purchase games from the Android store, copy them out of secure storage, and then get a refund for the game while keeping the game. If the bloatware was removable by default, they would not have rooted in the first place. Making it difficult to pirate by affecting your paying customers is a terrible idea - focus on customer value - pirates WILL pirate regardless. If you give out your game for free, pirates will still pirate it and you will still see it sitting on TPB (and others). Piracy is an industry, not a customer. You can't sell to pirates by making it difficult for them.
damian2000 14y ago
Interesting that the author of this article is the Principal Engineer on Nokia's Windows Phone team, and previously worked for Microsoft ... he obviously knows this tech inside out.
- RyanZAG 14y ago
  Wow, that puts a new slant on the article... 1) He wants people to pirate Windows 8 apps to try and increase demand for Windows 8 itself through piracy? 2) He is getting ready to quit or is transferring to a new division and wants to make a point to his bosses? Either way, wow...
  - Yuioup 14y ago
    Hmm ... Service Unavailable. I wonder if he pissed off people somehow.
kabdib 14y ago
As a guy with some experience in platform crypto . . . facepalm. I can't believe they did it this way, it's like they didn't even try.
- pmelendez 14y ago
  How would you made it? (Honest question)
meaty 14y ago
This really doesn't surprise me. The CLR has always been wide open for reverse engineering and decompilation. Seriously, C++ might get you further here but don't rely on it anyway. Old way of doing it: It's pretty damn easy to mod an assembly using Mono.Cecil to inject a return statement before a chunk of license code. New way: XML. They even made it easier :)
cientifico 14y ago
And this is the reason why day by day, more game only work on online mode, and don't save even a cache in the local storage.
navneetpandey 14y ago
It happens. When you feature on Hacker News server crashes or site becomes offline. LOL
fra522033 14y ago
i dose not matter if you a good hacker or not hacking is haking
thethiny 14y ago
can please give me one with images? I'm confused! at least mail it to me! thethiny@ymail.com thanks!

38 points by yread 14y ago

Article seems gone. Here's a cached version (though some of the pictures won't load): http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:justinangel.net/HackingWindows8Games http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:justina...

icebraining 14y ago
I had it still in my browser's cache, so here's a copy with images: http://hckcacher.staticloud.com/ http://hckcacher.staticloud.com/
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
hegothacked 14y ago
It appears the homepage got hacked actually - http://justinangel.net http://justinangel.net

Scene_Cast2 14y ago

A good rule of thumb is that if only the user "knows" something, it can be cracked & hacked. I'm sure that if a similarly-protected app (no server-side checks) is there on Android, one would be able to crack it with some work. Sure, one may argue that it's harder on Android - but that's besides the point (and the trade off between power and locked-down-ness) I haven't done mobile dev - are there any built-in DRM features that developers can use?

JuDue 14y ago

True almost every security layer is crackable. The idea is to make buying an app more convenient than the effort and time involved in cracking. Not sure Windows8 apps are there yet, reading this. Will undoubtably be addressed in future updates, but a little scary how easy the hacks were.

icebraining 14y ago
The idea is to make buying an app more convenient than the effort and time involved in cracking. Buying an app was always more convenient than cracking. The problem is making it more convenient than downloading an already cracked copy.

RyanZAG 14y ago

Hardly matters if the hack is easy or hard. In either case, someone who enjoys hacking things will hack it (and the more difficult to hack the more enjoyment and so more likely to be hacked). Once a single person cracks a piece of software, they can upload it to tpb or similar and now everyone has it cracked. So keeping the hacks as easy as possible with as minimal impact to paying customers is the correct way to do it. Having it be a little text file you edit that flags something as bought or not is the perfect way, as support can easily instruct users with difficulties to flip the switch themselves. Making it difficult doesn't help anybody - people who want to pirate WILL download a pirated torrent. Don't give them reason to do this by making your version of the game worse than the pirated copy!! NB!!

JuDue 14y ago
Except not every OS makes it easy to install third party hacks. Or as beneficial. Jailbreaking iOS is quite a step for the majority of users, and means relinquishing the benefits and ease of the Store. Arguably, if this article is any indication, elements of Win8 are not secure enough to outweigh the benefits of these quick and simple hacks. Having said that, Win8 is less of a closed minimal mobile system, and probably better compared to OSX. Desktop with a tablet layer bolted on.
- RyanZAG 14y ago
  Disagree - piracy on iOS (especially for games) is exceptionally high. The generic nature of iOS protection means that once a device is jailbroken any cracked app can be installed simply and easily. There are numerous cracked app stores that make it just as easy as the Apple Store to install games. People who want to pirate WILL pirate. By creating the locked-down system on iOS, you force people who wish to change the feel of the dashboard to jailbreak their devices. They then install a couple Winterboard themes onto their device and at the same time, they come into contact with some nice games that they can tap a button to crack and install for free. This actually creates pirates by forcing them to become pirates to simply improve their device's theme. Same for removing carrier bloatware on Android - people will root their device to remove bloatware. Once rooted, they can easily purchase games from the Android store, copy them out of secure storage, and then get a refund for the game while keeping the game. If the bloatware was removable by default, they would not have rooted in the first place. Making it difficult to pirate by affecting your paying customers is a terrible idea - focus on customer value - pirates WILL pirate regardless. If you give out your game for free, pirates will still pirate it and you will still see it sitting on TPB (and others). Piracy is an industry, not a customer. You can't sell to pirates by making it difficult for them.

damian2000 14y ago

Interesting that the author of this article is the Principal Engineer on Nokia's Windows Phone team, and previously worked for Microsoft ... he obviously knows this tech inside out.

RyanZAG 14y ago
Wow, that puts a new slant on the article... 1) He wants people to pirate Windows 8 apps to try and increase demand for Windows 8 itself through piracy? 2) He is getting ready to quit or is transferring to a new division and wants to make a point to his bosses? Either way, wow...
- Yuioup 14y ago
  Hmm ... Service Unavailable. I wonder if he pissed off people somehow.

kabdib 14y ago

As a guy with some experience in platform crypto . . . facepalm. I can't believe they did it this way, it's like they didn't even try.

pmelendez 14y ago
How would you made it? (Honest question)

meaty 14y ago

This really doesn't surprise me. The CLR has always been wide open for reverse engineering and decompilation. Seriously, C++ might get you further here but don't rely on it anyway. Old way of doing it: It's pretty damn easy to mod an assembly using Mono.Cecil to inject a return statement before a chunk of license code. New way: XML. They even made it easier :)

cientifico 14y ago

And this is the reason why day by day, more game only work on online mode, and don't save even a cache in the local storage.

navneetpandey 14y ago

It happens. When you feature on Hacker News server crashes or site becomes offline. LOL

fra522033 14y ago

i dose not matter if you a good hacker or not hacking is haking

thethiny 14y ago

can please give me one with images? I'm confused! at least mail it to me! thethiny@ymail.com thanks!