News

Hackers secretly want bill to become law, claims starforce

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0400

The attacks on two major US telecoms trade associations by cyber security hackers may be elaborate attempts to hoodwink the American government into rushing through ‘draconian’ legislation which opponents say is aimed at censoring internet activity and content.

On the face of it, distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks on TechAmerica and US Telecom were carried out because both organisations support a controversial new bill which proposes to give the government more power to protect its infrastructures against cyber attacks.

However, information security expert Dmitry Guseff from StarForce Technologies claims the real reason is that the hackers actually want the bill to become law. He believes hackers like Anonymous � the group claiming responsibility for the latest attacks � feel that heavy-handed, ponderous state intervention will play right into the hands of cyber criminals.

Earlier this year StarForce Technologies (www.star-force.com), an international market leader in software protection and information security, wrote to the United States Congress warning against introducing cumbersome legislation to counter the risks to national and international security.

Guseff, deputy marketing director at StarForce, urged Greg Walden, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology sub-committee, to consider using private sector expertise. The Russian company has never received a response.

Speaking after the attack on the two trade associations � apparently for their support of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) � Guseff said: “I’m convinced things are not what they appear to be on the surface. The attacks are calculated measures by the hackers and are purely to further their own intentions in the future.

“They have probably taken the view that if this bill becomes law it will tie the hands of private security vendors who really could make life more difficult for hackers and those intent on breaching security.”

Social media feedback triggers new security warning

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0400

Companies are being urged to ensure their specialist information systems staff are equipped with the necessary skills, training and technical competence to identify and prevent potential breaches of security.

The call for greater vigilance from companies, as well as from the IS staff themselves, comes from StarForce Technologies (www.star-force.com), an international market leader in software protection against hacking and information security.

StarForce marketing director Denis Gasilin says factors such as 'education', 'awareness', 'knowledge' and 'experience' are increasingly regarded as the most important solutions to prevent security breaches. 'Technical measures' and the 'human factor' are also considered important.

The Russia-based company has published the results of a survey it compiled based on comments from information security specialists who were asked which one word best described the biggest challenge facing information security today.

The data for the survey has been sourced from an online LinkedIn group, the Information Security Community. The question which aroused StarForce interest and led to the survey was started by one of the group's members.

At the beginning of April 2012 there had been almost 2,500 responses from members of the LinkedIn Information Security Community group.

StarForce says the responses show that the professionalism and competency of staff – epitomised by their training, technical expertise, qualifications and overall capabilities - are essential factors which are expected of IS experts worldwide.

"People need to be aware of threats to be in the best position to take the appropriate steps to overcome them effectively," said Gasilin.

"While technical factors such as safe system architecture and security measures are important, StarForce believes it is a priority that all IS specialists should be trained to be technically competent to handle these threats."

"Reducing the risks by taking appropriate preventive measures is extremely important. Data provided by surveys like this enable us to track human tendencies and attitudes towards achieving higher levels of information security."

The survey results have been posted on the StarForce website - http://www.star-force.com/about/articles/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=2501
- and are collated in two graphs; one shows the most popular responses, the other links the responses into nine separate groups which reflect the information and suggestions provided.

About Information Security Community

Join our prestigious Information Security Community on Linkedin, G+, and FB - the largest community of infosec professionals in the industry. Let us build a network that connects people, opportunities, and ideas. If you are involved in purchasing, selling, designing, deploying ... or using information security solutions - this group is for you.
Covered topics include compliance, encryption, anti-virus, malware, cloud security, data protection, hacking, network security, virtualization, and more…

~ "In line with its Mission, Vision, and Objectives, the Information Security Community is influencing and nurturing the present and next generation of Information Security Professionals for today’s unrelenting demands©," confirms Virginia Benedict, Managing Curator/Media & Vendor Alliance Program Director (since 2009)

StarForce Protection System 2012.1 update has been released

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0400

StarForce company, the leading vendor of software solutions against software and E-documents copying, cracking and illegal distribution issued the 2012.1 update of StarForce protection system.

2012.1 update became the first major update in 2012. It contains improvements for almost all StarForce's products.

Detailed information available for clients on corporate site in Members zone and Protection Studio "Update" section.

Graphical reporting system has been implemented

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0400

StarForce Technologies has implemented graphical interface of protected software activation and use.

High-flying security enhancement for Russia's biggest airline

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0400

StarForce Technologies, the leading vendor of copy protection and licensing solutions against software and electronic documents copying, cracking and illegal distribution providing electronic document security and licensing at one of the world’s largest airlines

Endorse StarForce and receive 50% discount

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0400

Up to the 1st March 2012 endorse StarForce’s products and services to your colleagues and friends and receive huge discount for your protection license.

StarForce Protection System 2011.6 update has been released

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0400

StarForce company, the leading vendor of software solutions against software and E-documents copying, cracking and illegal distribution issued the last update in this year - 2011.6.

Paper from StarForce ATM cyber threats

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0400

StarForce Technologies, a leading vendor of software protection tools, has published a new white paper highlighting the criminal threat posed by cyber attacks on automated teller machines (ATMs) – the machines which millions of people use every day to withdraw cash from banks.

StarForce Protection System 2011.5 update has been released

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0400

StarForce company, the leading vendor of software solutions against software and E-documents copying, cracking and illegal distribution issued the 2011.5 update of StarForce protection system.

One the most interesting feature of this update is improving of Steam distribution service integration. Further, StarForce Content product dedicated to electronic documents security and licensing and FrontLine Audio/Video product dedicated to protection and licensing if audio/video materials got new, improved protection against screen grabbers.

Detailed information available for clients on corporate site in Members zone and Protection Studio "Update" section.

About StarForce Technologies

The StarForce company has the ultimate expertise in software development and digital content protection from copying, hacking and unauthorized use. For more than 10 years we have been successfully developing and implementing our state-of-the-art software solutions providing copyright and intellectual property protection worldwide.

Top quality products and excellent customer service distinguish a great from a mediocre company in today's world. StarForce not only develops and sells software products, but also positions itself as a reliable and responsible partner of all individuals and enterprises incurring losses due to software piracy, unauthorized data access and information leaks.

For further information and press contacts:
Skype: starforce_

Updated solution for audio/video content security and licensing has been released

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0400

StarForce company, the leading vendor of copy protection and licensing solutions against software and electronic documents copying, cracking and illegal distribution released updated version of FrontLine Audio/Video product - professional solution to protect audio and video content from copying and illegal distribution.

FrontLine Audio/Video product is the software security complex to secure audio and video files for PC and DVD-Video format dedicated to view on PC and home multimedia players. With help of new product right holder is able to secure his intellectual property against copying, illegal distribution and unauthorized use. Besides protection, right holder can define content licensing policy and gain sales information using StarForce developed DRM system.

Secured content can be distributed either on any physical media and internet.

The special developed StarForce software multimedia player is the major component of the product. Player supports playback of audio and video files of many formats. Player has been designed adjusted for its customization for client needs. It's possible to change player's appearance, layout of control elements etc.

Protection steps:

Audio/Video files are being encrypted and stored in software secured container which is only accessible via StarForce multimedia player
StarForce player is protected per se and comes as a single element with secured content, which is seriously complicated analysis and taking protected content out
After content is protected right holder defines distribution model and tunes up StarForce DRM system
In case client desires to distribute protected content on optical discs, disc image is being protected and properly prepared. Master disc then can be send to a replication plant or batch of discs may be duplicate in-house

All protection operations are run using Protection Studio tool, which offers for free. In case client needs to make a batch of 1000 discs or less it's possible to use specially designed writeable media - StarForce CD-R or StarForce DVD-R discs.

More information about FrontLine Audio/Video

About StarForce Technologies

For further information and press contacts:
Skype: starforce_

StarForce offers anti reverse-engineering tools for ATM software vendors

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0400

New ATM security recommendations will highlight 'Reverse-Engineering' threat from criminals

The Automated Teller Machine Industry Association (ATMIA - www.atmia.com), an international non-profit organisation, is about to publish its "Best Practice Manual" to enhance the operational security of ATM software.

The document will focus attention on ATM software security because ATMIA sees evidence that criminals are targeting ATM software as a new frontier of fraud. Software reverse-engineering will be highlighted as one of the most dangerous threats.

While the industry is on the verge of new security recommendations StarForce Technologies, the leading vendor of software protection tools, offers professional anti reverse-engineering tools for ATM software vendors. Protecting applications installed on ATMs requires attention through the whole software lifecycle, starting with the development phase and continuing during patching of already installed programs.

Reverse-Engineering (RE) is the process of discovering the technological principles of a system through analysis of its structure, function and operation. In terms of software it can also be seen as "going backwards through the development cycle". The purpose is to deduce design decisions from end products with little or no additional knowledge about the structure and algorithms of the investigated application.

Nowadays RE is an essential instrument in hackers hands to circumvent software systems for various purposes. Most of the modern well-known software security breaches were made using RE.

Unprotected applications can be easily reversed-engineered by even an intermediate level hacker. Once the RE process is complete the hacker understands how an application works and is able to bring new functionality or utilise the application for his own needs. This is the most dangerous threat as the ATM owner/operator may not discover the system penetration for some time. While everything is working normally the fact that the system has been cracked is hidden but the fraudster can launch the malware mechanism at any time.

StarForce tools transform executable code into StarForce virtual machine instructions, making analysis and modification of the software code considerably more difficult for any hacker.

The following anti reverse-engineering technologies are utilized:

Obfuscation
Program code virtualization
Protection against debuggers
Self checks of integrity
Protection against modifications of application

According to an ATMIA survey, Microsoft Windows covers 84-2% of all ATM operational systems. StarForce has worked with the Windows platform since 1998 and protected many thousands of application in various industry sectors.

About ATMIA

The ATM Industry Association is a global non-profit trade association with over 2,200 members in 60 countries. Its mission is to promote ATM convenience, growth and usage worldwide, protect the ATM industry's assets, interests, good name and public trust; and provide education, best practices, political voice and networking opportunities for member organizations.

About StarForce Technologies

Based in Russia, StarForce has representative sales offices in Russia, France, Germany and China. For many years it has been the leading security software developer for the Russian multimedia market which is infamous for its rampant software piracy.

StarForce Protection System 2011.4 update has been released

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:00:00 +0400

StarForce company, the leading vendor of software solutions against software and E-documents copying, cracking and illegal distribution issued the 2011.4 update of StarForce protection system.

One the most interesting improvement is implementation of protection against screen grabbers. The improvement is suitable for electronic documents security cloud service StarForce Content and for video files protection product StarForce Audio/Video.

Detailed information available for clients on corporate site in Members zone and Protection Studio "Update" section.

About StarForce Technologies

For further information and press contacts:
Skype: starforce_

StarForce attends GamesCom 2011

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0400

Company’s representatives will take part in world biggest event dedicated to computer games industry.

StarForce company, the leading vendor of copy protection and licensing solutions against software and electronic documents copying, cracking and illegal distribution delegates its representatives to GamesCom exhibition, that will take place 17-21 of August, 2011 in German Cologne.

About StarForce Technologies

Top quality products and excellent customer service distinguish a great from a mediocre company in today’s world. StarForce not only develops and sells software products, but also positions itself as a reliable and responsible partner of all individuals and enterprises incurring losses due to software piracy, unauthorized data access and information leaks.

For further information and press contacts:
Skype: starforce_

Electronic documents protection service StarForce Content has been improved

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:00:00 +0400

StarForce company, the leading vendor of copy protection and licensing solutions against software and electronic documents copying, cracking and illegal distribution issued the update for its cloud-based electronic documents protection service StarForce Content.

The main thing is that PPTX files type is now fully supported. This means that PPTX presentation with animation, flash videos and other multimedia content are now able to be protected with the service.

Also, Foxit PDF Reader that included in archive with protected files can now be excluded from archive that makes final archive smaller.

The maximum size of the files to be protected is changed: it is 350MB for a single file (pdf, ppt, pptx or html), 4300MB for an archive with files, and 350MB for each file in an archive.

About StarForce Technologies

For further information and press contacts:
Skype: starforce_

Piracy Protection

StarForce Protection System 2011.3 update has been released

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0400

StarForce company, the leading vendor of software solutions against software and E-documents copying, cracking and illegal distribution issued the 2011.3 update of StarForce protection system.

2011.3 update contains improvements for almost all StarForce’s products. Besides improvements of protection core anti-emulation support for Windows 7 SP1 has been added. Also, client will indicate considerable acceleration of protected modules work which contains several dozens thousands functions and many other features.

Detailed information available for clients on corporate site in Members zone and Protection Studio "Update" section.

About StarForce Technologies

For further information and press contacts:
Skype: starforce_

Copy Protection Software

Skype hack could have been delayed or prevented

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0400

The recent high-profile hacking of Skype could have been prevented – or at least delayed by better software protection says Russian copy protection software specialist StarForce Technologies.

Russian hacker Efin Bushmanov has cracked Skype’s protocol and data encryption mechanisms and made it publicly available for public. The cracking appears to have been achieved with a reverse-engineering method that is normally used for PC games and software cracking.

Liliya Volodina, StarForce Technologies marketing director, said: “He took Skype's client application, disassembled it and understood how the protocol and encryption work. It's not clear how much time it took but it seems that the hacker was working alone.”

Now he is recruiting other people holding the same views (say, other hackers) who, he says, ‘have enough time to finish the project.

Enough time is a loose concept and we can guess that he spent more than a year to disassemble the program when he worked alone. This is a good illustration of the fact that giving enough protection to a program's code may prevent its reverse-engineering for a long time, especially if the hacker doesn't know the basic principles of the protection.

There could be a tough times ahead for Skype. In addition to the fact that the company needs to fix program instability (in recent times it has crashed pretty often) it needs to rebuild the protocol and code protection. It has to make major changes if it doesn't want to face a new crack in short period of time. Documentation that has appeared over the internet will allow other hackers to circumvent protection much faster if the repairs are only cosmetic.

Generally, code protection can serve various purposes - not only protection of code from analysis. Code protection could be a protection against viruses which are able to modify program operations in real time. It could also be a protection against whole system penetration via a program's weak places and it can solve the issue of connection protocol security.

Traditionally program code protection has occupied only a tiny part of the IT security industry. People pay little attention to this matter and often omit it.

For example, it is hard to find a specialised exhibition or conference dedicated to this sector only. On the other hand, the subject of private data security is met on every corner.

We should consider the fact that protection of personal data starts from protection of a program that operates with such data. To make a hacker spend years understanding how a program works will build serious obstacles on the hacker's way to steal any data.

About StarForce Technologies

StarForce Technologies is an international market leader in copy protection software and document security, providing systems to protect digital material from copying, hacking and unauthorised use.

For more than ten years the company has successfully developed and implemented state-of-the-art copy protection software which provides worldwide security for copyright and intellectual property.

The company aims to be a reliable and responsible partner, helping to prevent individuals and enterprises incurring losses due to software piracy, unauthorised data access and information leaks.

StarForce is among the leading players in the intellectual property security market. For many years it has been the leading security software developer for the Russian multimedia market which is infamous for its rampant software piracy.

Based in Russia, StarForce has representative sales offices in Russia, France, Germany and China.

For further information and press contacts:
Skype: starforce_
Email: pr@star-force.com

Software Protection

Summer offer: Buy two licenses for protection and get third for free

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 +0400

From the 1st of June till the 31st of August all company’s potential and current clients gain unique opportunity to save one third part of protection budget. During this period purchase of two licenses for software or electronic documents protection service brings the third one for free.

Don’t waste the chance! Pay for two protection licenses before the 31st of August and continue to work with no worry. You can take and use the third, free license at any convenience time in the future.

Offer terms and conditions:

The third license will be offer for free only after one-time purchase of two licenses.
“Gift” license can be chosen only from already purchased ones. For example, if you bought license for StarForce ProActive for Business and StarForce Content you may chose third license only out of previous two ones.
Only license for protection is offered for free. Royalty are paid by client under regular basis.

For more information contact you personal manager of use one of the most convenient contact methods.

Software Copy Protection