Addison-Wesley Says: WoW Hacking, Rah Rah Rah?
August 9, 2006 11:44 PM | Simon Carless
Thought this was, to say the least, interesting - book publisher Addison-Wesley Professional has announced a book named 'Exploiting Online Games: How to Break Multi-User Computer Games' - well, OK, that's the link to the pre-release 'condensed' version PDF, but the book itself will debut in 2007.
So, what's it all about? "Written by two of the security industry’s premiere authorities, Greg Hoglund, founder of www.rootkit.com, and Dr. Gary McGraw, CTO Cigital, Inc., Cheating Online Games sheds light onto the multi-billion dollar, high stakes online gaming industry, and explores ethical issues surrounding piracy, cheating, and corporate measures to stop both."
Apparently: "Readers learn how a program designed for one game, World of Warcraft, keeps watch of your game-play by scanning your computer for open processes and mails the information it collects back to its creator, Blizzard Entertainment. The authors demonstrate how to run a program named “The Governor” to keep watch of the watchers and know exactly what Blizzard Entertainment is doing on your computer."
So it's not clear to me, since I've seen the preview PDF and it mainly deals with finding out what World Of Warcraft is doing to your machine - by the title of this book, will the final version advocate actually 'breaking' MMOs, by creating exploits to cheat in various ways? If so, isn't that rather... unnecessary? Why would a book publisher advocate cheating or breaking multi-user games when it affects other users, too? Or is this all ethically justified because Blizzard is spying on us? Answers on a postcard, please!
Categories: PC
4 Comments
Security through obscurity! That's why I use teh windoz!
In all seriousness the book is covered under the seemingly all inclusive "academic exercise" category. If the publishers complain the authors will simply say "fix your game" and enjoy their profits. Most players hate gold farmers already, do you really want to encourage a domestic variety to appear?
I do like the fact they are checking up on "The Warden" but that is the extent I would support such a project.
d | August 9, 2006 6:41 PM
Heh @ d.
Yeah, most security books have that double life as a guide for those trying to fix weaknesses and those trying to exploit them. Either way can make use of the same security information.
wht.rbt | August 9, 2006 8:57 PM
Pozz ljudi sta se radi?
Bojan | April 25, 2008 2:33 AM
Knowledge is knowledge. It isn't evil, nor good. Just knowledge.
Now, conscious use of that knowledge makes the knower a cockmongler or not a cockmongler.
Corrales | April 25, 2008 8:18 AM