Security Through Obscurity

It never works...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PunkBuster
Because PunkBuster scans all of a machine's virtual memory, malicious users were able to cause mass false positives by transmitting text fragments from known cheat programs onto a high population IRC channel. When PunkBuster detected the text within user's IRC client text buffers, the users were banned.

Because PunkBuster scans all of a machine's virtual memory,

Yeesh, anyone who consents to that deserves whatever they get.

>>2
It also provides Jews with screenshots of your desktop and other private data...

In PunkBuster's EULA, PunkBuster notes they are invasive, and that they reserve the right to inspect someone's entire harddrive and all of their files:

    "Licensee understands and agrees that the information that may be inspected and reported by PunkBuster software includes, but is not limited to, Licensee's Internet Protocol Address, devices and any files residing on the hard-drive and in the memory of the computer on which PunkBuster software is installed." "Further, Licensee consents to allow PunkBuster software to transfer actual screenshots taken of Licensee's computer during the operation of PunkBuster software for possible publication." "Licensee agrees that any harm or lack of privacy resulting from the installation and use of PunkBuster software is not as valuable to Licensee as the potential ability to play interactive online games with the benefits afforded by using PunkBuster software."

Punkbunster? more like punkbear

>>3
I'm pretty sure, M$ and Apple can do the same at any time.

if there's something strange in your neighborhood who ya gonna call?
punkbusters!
if there's something weird and it don't look good who ya gonna call?
punkbusters!

>>1
Even better, post some fragments hidden inside spoiler tags or whatever as your forum signature on the game player's forums...

>>7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_number

Wow, people actually trust proprietary software. We activists of the free software movement have been warning society about the dangers of relying on proprietary software. I guess some people may learn when it's too late.

>>9
I believe you, bro

>>9
And hardware too.
http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/

oh god, that's fucking fantastic

Passwords are security through obscurity. Let's throw those away. Infact let's throw all encryption away, because it's just obscuring and thus bound to be unobscured. It's not safe! Remember "Security through obscurity" does not work. Never! Clearly passwords does not work.

>>13
Let's say you have a file full of seemingly random data. It's of no use to use, unless you know that it is encrypted, encrypted with a certain password. Unfortunately, these facts are obscured to you. Now consider how hard it would be for you to access the real content in said file. Hard, yes? Impossible no. Now consider how hard it would be for you to access said file if it had not been encrypted.  Not so hard right? So what was the point encrypting a file anyway, all it did was making it hard through obscurity, which we know is a farse. There is no point, that's why.

>>13-14
No offence, but over the years /prog/ has had much better trolls than most other boards. You'll have to do better than that if you want anyone to fall for it.

>>9
In this case it's about privacy, not about openness. If PunkBuster were open source, would that really change anything?

>>16
In essence, the controversy is the same. Both anti-piracy and anti-cheating try to deny you access to your computer. For example, PunkBuster mainly prevents wallhacking (i.e. seeing what is already on your computer) and bots (i.e. forcing users to do boring stuff, which could be automated).


Also,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_BMG_copy_protection_rootkit_scandal

>>16
Without freedom, users are relying on the software owner's goodwill to treat them well. When there is freedom, the user has control over what the software does. If there are privacy implications in free software, the community or individual can take the effort to remove the privacy problems. Such control is forbidden in proprietary software such as Punkbuster.