Liberty Trojan Horse Controversy Continues

Posted By: Ed Tuesday, August 29, 2000 9:39:54 AM

Last Friday, Aaron Ardiri, one of the developers of the Liberty GameBoy emulator, admitted he had created a trojan horse app that pretends to be a cracked version of Liberty but actually deletes all the apps from a Palm. As the first high-profile virus or trojan horse to hit the Palm community, it has gotten a tremendous amount of attention. ZDnet, CNET, and several other news sites have run articles on it, typically warning Palm users to expect a deluge of new viruses soon.

In a letter to the PalmStation, Mr. Ardiri talked about how it all started. He had the idea for the app, created it, then went on the #palmwarez Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel where he posted it for discussion with friends. Soon after, he changed his mind and tried to stamp out the app but it had already begun to spread.

According to Mr. Ardiri, the program is known as "Crack 1.1" (in the app launcher) and is 2663 bytes in size. If you have run it, you should immediately do a HotSync with "Desktop Overwrites Handheld" set for all your conduits.

Ardiri has written a Windows program to detect if a .prc is this app or a modified version of it. McAfee and Trend Micro have updated their virus protection software to deal with this app.

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It only takes one

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/29/2000 10:08:16 AM #
So much for the joys of an open O/S. What was he thinking? I encourage everyone to boycott his software now and forever!

Here Come the Anti-Virus $$s

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/29/2000 10:11:53 AM #
Great, now I suppose the Big Companies will be more than happy to sell us Ant-Virus software. Just what I wanted. More money spent to protect myself, and my data from cyber-terrorists (yep, that's what they are) and more software eating up my system resources.

THANKS Mr. Ardiri!

what the...

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/29/2000 10:55:03 AM #
understandable, but dumb as all hell for:
1) doing it in the first place, and
2) admitting to it after he did it.

RE: what the...
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/29/2000 11:32:39 AM #
Well, I was just about to purchase liberty but now, I really don't think so. This "crack" is going to be modified by hundreds of people and downloaded/run by unsuspecting persons from here on out. Now I'm going to have to take that money I had slated for liberty and probably have to give it to norton or mcafee to defend myself from the billions of renamed variants of this moronic trojan.


Stupid Crackers

Lucky Dragon @ 8/29/2000 11:52:26 AM #
The only people who will really get burned by this are the rip-off artists who try to
crack software so they can use it without paying the authors. I have a hard time feeling
sympathetic towards them. These are the people making anonymous posts about what
a diabolical menace Ardiri is, when they're the real slimeballs. What these ceeps fail to
consider is that if they weren't out there ripping people off, this program would never
have been written in the first place!
I don't think it was wise of him to write the trojan, but at the same time, I hope some
of these punks get what they deserve.

RE: Stupid Crackers
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/29/2000 11:11:37 PM #
Wow! Talk about missing the point. ...The point being thay this is the begining of a new era. It's not about if someone is trrying to crack a program that probably was free for the first month, and if they liked it they should buy it, not "crack it".

RE: Stupid Crackers
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/1/2000 11:23:06 PM #
Heh, heh. He said stupid crackers.

RE: Stupid Crackers
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/9/2002 10:50:54 AM #
"Crackers" are not the only ones who are going to get hit by this. Think about it. It would not be that dificult to alter the code and make the trojan horse apear to be a different application.

Virus stuff?

Gatsby @ 8/29/2000 2:37:02 PM #
Actually, there are already a few companines that offer virus protection/scanning for the Palm OS. Both Symantic and McCaffy (sp?) have said they were working on solutions after that cell-phone virus scare in Western Europe.

I think I understand why he did what he did with the Horse, as a shareware author, I am always tempted to put something nasty in my code in case of deadbeats and crackers. The fact that he actually *did* something like this is a little nasty, but I really don't think he ment all sorts of harm to be spread. I would question future products from this developer, however.

RE: Virus stuff?
Spell @ 8/31/2000 2:52:30 PM #
McAfee used the news hoopla yesterday about the Trojan Horse as a way to announce their, to steal a line from SW, fully operational battlesta...er anti-virus software for handhelds. More information about their product is available on http://www.mcafeeb2b.com . From what I saw, they were the only ones hyping their products on the news wires, however, that doesn't mean that other companies haven't developed similar products to protect handhelds from most certainly will not be the last such virus.

Give him a figgen break

Smev @ 8/29/2000 5:33:49 PM #
If you accully got burned with this it doesn't really matter because all you gotta do is put it in your cradle and hit the little button. But all those uberleet juarez kiddies deserve it. If you are too stupid to test it on the emulator you will get what you deserve, if Liberty warns you about corrupted roms, I would think people would figure out that they should test everything that they don't get from offical sites. I'm not saying I'm a warez kiddie, just that its not a big deal, if you can't spend 16$ on a worth while app, and try to rip it off and you don't even try to figure out if its a virus or not. What it really did was quite minor, and easily restore able with the standard hotsync software. And also this isn't the first palm trojan horse, as I recall I once ran into a program that would corrupt your flash rom, which is a real pain to restore. But if you want to release a virus you shouldn't tell anyone but yourself. And don't post a artical saying you did it. I think everyone should stop their bitchin and forget about it.

Smev

RE: Give him a figgen break - fine. his arm or leg?
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/1/2000 1:42:17 AM #
In his attempts to protect his own programs, instead of just making things difficult he declares war, and instead of hurting the crackers and warez, instead he has damaged the Palm platform and every developer and user. If you have backed up every application, hitting the hotsync button works, but not if you aren't using backup buddy or something else. Because of him I have to spend time scanning files or worry that if I receive something it might zap my Palm, and insuring every app is backed up on my desktop. Anyone who posts crackware is banned from the normal palm sites, even if they write useful software. Either he and all his software should be similarly banned, or they shouldn't be hypocritical and allow posting of beam-crackers and other similar programs. If a cracker for one program is destructive of the Palm economy, what is this trojan?

There is a REAL crack available, and baby it works...

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/30/2000 12:09:04 AM #
Yes, kiss goodbye to that 32k limit. There is a REAL Liberty keygen available that generates a PRC password file which you can download onto your Palm - works fantastic, and opens the floodgates; but it doesn't end there - get onto one of the FTPs that has it, and you are likely to find a 100 MEG zip file containing every Gameboy game ever made...already converted to PDB format, and ready for upload to your Palm. I especially like MegaMan - WOW!

Let this be a warning to the author - I will allow him to get away with his recent behavior THIS TIME. Should anything like this occur again, I will be forced to publicly post the location of the LEGIT crack file - that INCLUDES sites like PalmGear (which it will be posted to every hour until everyone has had a chance to view it). Innocent/curious people were hurt by this 'virus' - the only reason I am not posting the FTP now, is because I rely on it everyday to download the latest and greatest cracks and I do not want to see the site shut down...but I have several others as a contingency should Ardiri push his luck. If you want the crack file, be resourceful and get it - it is called: "pw-liberty10e.rar" Good luck!

P.S. ...a little FYI...these shareware authors that whine and complain, are often the same ones that visit palm warez FTP sites and the PalmWarez palmpass.xml site (which has 1500 cracks to date) to download cracks for other authors apps. Can you spell hypocrite?
I'm sure others just crack the files themselves...

P.S.S. I strongly supported the shareware community when I first became a Palm user (this was when I was naive) - I've paid my dues and feel no guilt in saying what I've said.

RE: There is a REAL crack available, and baby it works...
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/30/2000 4:59:25 AM #
Maybe we sould spend some time thinking why Mr Ardiri did all that. Instead of blaming, blaming AND blaming him, we should learn things from HIS point of view. Ardiri has been a very good palm developer and has created lots of great palm apps. Surely we wouldn't want to lose him because of a petty incident like this?

Moreover, now that all of us knows about this trojan horse thing, who would be so dumb as to install it knowing that it will "destroy" his palmtop?

As to the cracking thing, I personally feel that one should reap the benefits of his hard labour. It's just $16.95 anyway. Also, to the user, who so eagerly "warned" Mr Ardiri to to do anything rash, I just have to say that if you are this capable, make the program yourself and post it free on Palmgear. Only then are you fit to accuse Mr Ardiri of anything he has done.

RE: There is a REAL crack available, and baby it works...
@ 8/30/2000 8:03:31 AM #
If you don't care about the illegality, at least you should know that the cracks for an older version, no longer available (and with emulation problems)

RE: There is a REAL crack available, and baby it works...
Smev @ 8/30/2000 7:07:09 PM #
Yea, just commenting on how lame you are. Who cares about a OLD crack. I guess you should find something better to do then theaten shareware authors. Like greasing up ur balls or somethin. If you don't already.

RE: There is a REAL crack available, and baby it works...
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/1/2000 11:20:36 PM #
Where can i get these warez sites?

Smev, You Are a Moron...
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/2/2000 1:50:09 AM #
Did mommy smash a lamp on your head when you were young? It's just you're so full of bright ideas and all...

You are obviously completely uninformed. Maybe it's my fault for using the word 'crack'...it's actually a keygen (which I eluded to later on) - in which case it never becomes old and works on future versions (but you knew that, right???). Grow up little boy...

RE: There is a REAL crack available, and baby it works...
maven @ 9/2/2000 1:40:52 PM #
Actually, the 'keygen' only works on 1.0e and earlier. We sent out updated keys to all registered users for 1.1 due to the many changes made. For a list of changes, see the changes.txt file included with Liberty 1.1 (So, Smev is completely correct)

RE: There is a REAL crack available, and baby it works...
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/3/2000 5:58:33 PM #
Actually, no, maven, both you and smev are entirely mistaken. The 'old' keygen definitely does work on the latest version (1.1) with a *slight* tweak. Rather than give the farm away...I'll let you tear it apart yourself and see if you're smart enough to find the loophole (or should I say canyon) that you left.

What a joke!!

404 @ 8/30/2000 7:47:36 PM #
He didn't wanna get ripped off the $16 for his app but it's ok to rip off Nintendo & other game developers, right?
RE: What a joke!!
The Enforcer @ 9/3/2000 4:53:11 PM #
This is a very good point - and precisely the reason why it is perfectly, totally, 100% ethical for us to continue cracking and distributing Liberty as it is released (which will be done). What's worse, is that Ardiri actually has the audasity to CHARGE for the emulator!? As for us, nobody has ever looked down on those who 'rob' thieves...in fact, they're considered heros...

Let it be known that a census has been formed within the cracking community. Ardiri's recent self-righteous behaviour (which is nothing short of hypocrisy) shall not go unpunished. A decision has been reached - from this point forward, ALL Liberty cracks/keygens shall be publicy posted in this and other forums, as well as in (of course) major public arenas such as PalmGear, Tucows, ZDNet, Downloads, PalmCentral, Handango, etc., etc., as well as all the major newsgroups. Autoposting will ensure that this file get upped constanty (immediately after being taken down, and under a different name if necessary) to all the above mentioned sites and newsgroups. And guess what! We've saved the best 'till last! We have access to some of the major mailing lists (such as PalmGear's) and will forward the crack to EVERYONE - directly - who is on the list...

You guys wanted to play hardball - well, step to the plate. Bet you never guessed you were going to get beaned in the end. We will ensure that your profits remain minimal, and will take pride in ultimately putting you out of business. Also, we will assist in thoroughly promoting the freeware version of the GameBoy emulator, whose release is immanent.

The Enforcer

-out-

Re: What a joke!!

The Enforcer @ 9/3/2000 5:13:47 PM #
This is a very good point - and precisely the reason why it is perfectly, totally, 100% ethical for us to continue cracking and distributing Liberty as it is released (which will be done). What's worse, is that Ardiri actually has the audasity to CHARGE for the emulator!? As for us, nobody has ever looked down on those who 'rob' thieves...in fact, they're considered heros...

Let it be known that a census has been formed within the cracking community. Ardiri's recent self-righteous behaviour (which is nothing short of hypocrisy) shall not go unpunished. A decision has been reached - from this point forward, ALL Liberty cracks/keygens shall be publicy posted in this and other forums, as well as in (of course) major public arenas such as PalmGear, Tucows, ZDNet, Downloads, PalmCentral, Handango, etc., etc., as well as all the major newsgroups. Autoposting will ensure that this file get upped constanty (immediately after being taken down, and under a different name if necessary) to all the above mentioned sites and newsgroups. And guess what! We've saved the best 'till last! We have access to some of the major mailing lists (such as PalmGear's) and will forward the crack to EVERYONE - directly - who is on the list...

You guys wanted to play hardball - well, step to the plate. Bet you never guessed you were going to get beaned in the end. We will ensure that your profits remain minimal, and will take pride in ultimately putting you out of business. Also, we will assist in thoroughly promoting the freeware version of the GameBoy emulator, whose release is immanent.

The Enforcer

-out-

RE: Re: What a joke!!
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/10/2002 5:49:47 PM #
A nice article, but I don't see any URL leading to the freeware Game Boy Emulator. Guess it's just empty words, huh?

To the rest of you: What is Ardir's site still doing up???

they come eazily

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/20/2002 12:46:29 AM #
WATCH OUT!!! i've got'en 16 viruses in my life and 3 of then were trojan horses. the odds of geting the same virus twice is one in sixty thousand and i have goten three so WATCH OUT!!!
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