Starforce protection as I see it...

[Morglum007]

I can say you are almost 100% wrong, and thats why:

1.- There is no physical key written on the CD surface. Starforce just read some sector at the CD, and then, codifies an internal key with the timing it last to, which with RSA algorithm makes the final testing. Mastered ( silver ones) CDs/DVDs will always have same timing, and will always launch "without" problems. Thats why Starforce differences from originals and copies.

2.- The drivers doesn't decrypt anything from CD. SF have two (2) virtual machines: first for CD checking/antidebuging, and another one for the game itself. Decrypting is done internally, and have nothing to do with CD key.

3.- As stated above, there isn't any key written on CD ( thats why no CD can be detected as StarforceD by sector checking, unless Key on Data preparer field CD structure). It is not a "XOR" comparison, it is a RSA algorithm..

4.- Starforce reads certain sector ( different at different games) and then obtain a timing, which codes into a code. If this code is correct ( original), RSA will succeed, and game will launch. If timing is incorrect, code will not match, and RSA decryption will fail.

5.- Resulting time will be coded into another code, and this will launch first VM which will check game integrity and hardware limits. Once done, another VM launchs the game.

Finally, every game is different, cause every code is different per mastering mill. The provided code will be interpreted with starforce as a sector reading and timing. This timing will be almost the same for originals, and different for copies.

Cracking SF is not so easy, cause there is something called p-codes. SF uses about 500 stolen functions, registry obfuscation and conditional jumps inside VM. Thats the problem with SF. Every game have different p-codes, and there is no tool could extract (exist) and patch ( in progress) such functions.

SF uses a very poor 64 bit RSA encrypting key, so no 192 bit encrypting......where have u read such thing?

Please, don't miss people.

Morg @ CdSTeam