While looking for some files on a family member's Windows XP Media Center Edition system today, I found an unusual hidden directory named
SecuROM:
X:\Documents and Settings\Amy\Application Data>dir /ah
Volume in drive X is Sun
Volume Serial Number is 4E62-15B2
Directory of X:\Documents and Settings\Amy\Application Data
09/08/2009 06:49 PM <DIR> .
09/08/2009 06:49 PM <DIR> ..
08/30/2005 08:52 AM 62 desktop.ini
08/27/2007 04:54 PM <DIR> SecuROM
1 File(s) 62 bytes
3 Dir(s) 173,915,779,072 bytes free
X:\Documents and Settings\Amy\Application Data>dir /ah SecuROM
Volume in drive X is Sun
Volume Serial Number is 4E62-15B2
Directory of X:\Documents and Settings\Amy\Application Data\SecuROM
08/27/2007 04:54 PM <DIR> .
08/27/2007 04:54 PM <DIR> ..
08/27/2007 04:54 PM <DIR> UserData
0 File(s) 0 bytes
3 Dir(s) 173,915,779,072 bytes free
X:\Documents and Settings\Amy\Application Data>dir /ah SecuROM\UserData
Volume in drive X is Sun
Volume Serial Number is 4E62-15B2
Directory of X:\Documents and Settings\Amy\Application Data\SecuROM\UserData
08/27/2007 04:54 PM <DIR> .
08/27/2007 04:54 PM <DIR> ..
08/27/2007 04:55 PM 444 securom_v7_01.bak
08/27/2007 04:55 PM 444 ???????????p?????????
08/27/2007 04:55 PM 16 ???????????p?????????
3 File(s) 904 bytes
2 Dir(s) 173,915,680,768 bytes freeChecking on what SecuROM might be, I found
a Wikipedia webpage on it
at SecuROM.
SecuROM is a CD/DVD copy protection product, most often used for commercial computer games running under Microsoft Windows, developed by Sony DADC. SecuROM aims to resist home media duplication devices, professional duplicators, and attempts at reverse engineering the game. The use of SecuROM has generated controversy due to the fact that it is not uninstalled upon removal of the game. In 2008, consumers filed a class-action lawsuit against Electronic Arts for its use of SecuROM in the video game Spore.
I found the following information in the article troubling, since I sometimes use Process Explorer on systems for troubleshooting purposes.
I checked to see what software was installed on the system on August 27, 2007, which is the date the SecuROM directory and files within it were created. The family member installed a lot of games that day. The SecuROM directory was created at 4:54 P.M. that day. I saw she installed Jewel Logic shortly before the SecuROM directory was created. Jewel Logic is produced by Cosmi Corporation. Since the timestamp on the Jewel Logic directory on her system was 4:53 P.M., I suspect that when she installed Jewel Logic, it used the SecuROM copy protection scheme and as a result the SecuROM files were placed on her system during the installation of Jewel Logic.Disk drive emulators and some debugging software will also cause the launch of the game to fail and a security module error to be generated. In fact a reboot of the entire system was required if Process Explorer prior to version 11 was used before an attempt to run the protected software. That problem was caused by a driver that was kept in memory after Process Explorer was closed.
References:
-
SecuROM
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -
The Voice of Heard/SecuROM: Making Copyright Even Less Sense
By: TC Tim
Date: December 8, 2008
WCCA TV13 | Worcester Community Cable Access -
Securom 7 Antidumps
FileForums
