GLIntercept Detection Plug-in for SL

I've thought a great deal about this IP theft issue concerning SL that is a rampant drain on SL's potential. The need to secure the SL platform is essential for the world to work with business. I have generally felt that without a massive overhaul of the 3D engine that SL runs on, it would be impossible.

Texture watermarking and other seemingly wise approaches to asset protection have and will prove useless. LL does not seem to be interested in a large scale approach to user's IP protection probably due to unattractive costs and human investment into non core business development.

I have this idea but because my coding background is limited I'm not sure of the feasibility it. If it could work I believe it would greatly improve developer confidence in Second Life.

Simply LL needs to throw together a little addition to the SL client. The addition or plug-in would run silently in the background and could detect if commonly known SL exploitive software is also running.

In a fashion similar to spyware detection software, LL could easily update the program to search for new exploitive software signatures.

The community could be involved in helping LL keep track of new programs being used to exploit SL. LL would have the final say on what gets on the exploitive software list.

If exploitive software was detected while running SL, the client would not connect to the grid, or if already connected the user would then be disconnected.

Potentially greater functionality could be developed into the plug-in. Such as allowing some potentially exploitive software or "tools" to be running while on the grid, but commercial centers or stores could ban anyone running these "tools".

Not sure if this makes sense or if it's a reasonable addition to the SL client.
Also not sure if people would want SL running a detection program on their machine. I personally would not mind as long as I knew what they were looking for.

What do you think?

*attempted to change the title*

SL is Open Source so any such software could be removed.

Since the client is open source, such code could easily be removed again. There are a *few* legitmate uses of this software (though I grant not many), and a few "grey areas" whereby someone with no intention of theft could still find it useful. As is usual with copy protection schemes, it typically only hurts the end users, and completely fails to stop the thiefs (who always find a way around it).

Are there no required assets?

I have to admit I have not played with the client source but it would seem that LL could require an encrypted package be included for the client to be connected to the grid. That package would allow LL to keep all things in check to a much greater degree than they can do now.

The problem with that idea is that anything that can be done that way, could also just be done by modifying the source code. Since there's no way for a program to analyse itself at the moment, as well as running the monitoring software, the source security mechanism would basically have to ban any customized clients from connecting to the grid at all. Which would bring 90% of open source development to a crashing halt.

Not inadvertently promoting software that can be (mis)used to steal textures by putting its name in a thread post would really be a more useful start.

(And yes, it's been named before and you can find out on your own if you just search long enough, but that doesn't mean you have to add to it)

Yumi's point is valid as well. If someone wanted to grab textures, it would be much easier to change the viewer to only grab on command, or to grab clothing textures, skin textures, etc (ie things that otherwise would only appear as a baked texture).

Was it really necessary to mention the exploitive software by name? It's not exactly a secret, of course, but surely you must realize that every time you print the name, you invite more people to seek it out actively. It would have been enough just to have said "IP theft-ware detection plugin". You didn't need to say the name at all.

And since the way post titles first appear on the main page of a forum is the way they'll appear forever, any damage you just did is permanent. Even if you change the title now, it won't change on the main page. Nice work.


Anyway, there are a number of problems with your idea. First, as others have stated, the client is open source. Anyone could build their own client without this detection system included.

That, of course, leads to the idea of required components, which some have suggested. While it might be possible to require a particular component be present, that would probably be a pretty big change. Right now, very little is required, as far as I know. People have already created "light clients" that do nothing but upload textures, or create sculpties, or control bots, or handle IM's, etc. Clearly if those single-purpose clients are possible, then it stands to reason that almost nothing is required at present. I don't know what would be necessary to make a memory scanner required.

Another concern is performance. The client is already extremely resource intensive. How much more overhead would it need to scan for certain programs in memory?

Also, there's the arms race factor. You put a scanner in the client to look for ABC today, I replace ABC with XYZ tomorrow. It's pretty unlikely that the scanner would ever be able to keep up. Antivirus companies have large, dedicated staffs to keep their software up to date. LL barely has the staff to keep the grid working properly from day to day.

And then there's the public freakout factor. When people figured out that World of Warcraft includes a scanner to help prevent people from using known cheat programs, the public was up in arms. Headlines all over the tech world read "Blizzard Puts Spyware in World of Warcract". I guarantee you, you start having SL scan people's systems, the conspiracy theorists will have a field day. (Not that that would be that big a deal, I guess. They always find SOMETHING to freak out about, regardless.)


The bottom line is that you can never effectively apply technical solutions to social problems. If someone really wants to rob a bank, they will, whether the vault is locked or not. The key to preventing theft is to make it socially unacceptable. The reason most people don't rob banks is not just because they'd be unlikely to get away with it, but because they know it's wrong. Not enough people are educated enough about intelectiua property to feel as strongly about it as they do about physical property, and that's the real problem. Until you change that, no amount of technology will ever solve the problem.



And all of the above is before you even get into the discussion of whether or not there are legitimate uses for the software in question. Many would argue that there are. So how could you set up your scanner to block usage by bad guys, while still allowing it for good guys? Obviously you can't

You're thinking of something like Punkbuster tried to do against the aimbots (in FPS games). It turned into an on-going battle with dedicated people and never did make much of a difference.

Won't work in an open source environment.
It would be unable to tell if that 3rd party legit software was running because it was monitoring SL, or monitoring some OTHER OpenGL program/game the user might have running at the time.
It's possible to initialize that software AFTER any such checks would occur.
That software is a legit legal open source package and you can't just arbitrarily prevent it from being used without getting slapped for it, and denying SL because of it's presence is discriminatory... big no-no's in the software world. Just ask Netscape how pissed they were at what MS did.
That software is also open sourced, meaning it can easily be adapted or changed to circumvent any protections in SL.
You're suggesting that LL dedicate staff to participate in a losing battle that's already lost.

I agree with Kitty and Chosen... only hurting the cause by mentioning one of them by name. Obscurity is your friend in this case.

wow

i keep getting amazed about the stupidity...
you complain about the program of how to steal textures, yet, you give it`s full name here so every one who didn`t knew the exact name or way to get it now as it`s top result in google

might aswell just give the link to it as it`s blatantly in the f`ing open now

the program that shouldn`t be named but reffered to "we know how it`s done"

That's a good point. No harm meant, just taking my stab at the IP theft issue.
I guess any solution is a hinderance to someone else.

It would be nice to be able to sell SL as a possible marketing solution to companies that are crazy about security. Unfortunatly people who work in information Systems security at places like banks tend to laugh their asses off at the mere mention of SL.

Alicia, talk about stupidity! Why would you go from bad to worse like that?

Yes, the OP screwed up. That much was clear. You certainly didn't need to compound the problem by making it even more clear.

I'll tell you what, next time my house is on fire because I left the iron on or something, you can come by and tell me how wrong I was, and then you can pour gasoline on it to prove it.

removed it but it`s pointless as it`s TOP result in google

oh and FUCKUP is a TREMENDOUS understatement

I think maybe you're not aware of how common the use of software like this is.

I have attempted to change the title.

if it was *that* common you would hear nothing but every damn texture in sl being ripped and people complain every second, as this is not the cause, proves that the asshats who have no problem with stealing didn`t knew how to or are just to stupid

now every one who has access to these forums knows exactly how to do it and pass it on to their friends

this is defenetly a thread that should be deleted

Unfortunately, I fear that it's not because they're not educated enough... it's because they don't care.

Many "casual pirates" feel that artists etc. are overpaid and/or rich anyway, so what does it matter? They're wrong, of course, but you can blame a lot of the mass media for that. After all, so many people nowadays have never witnessed the entire progress of an art project except as a "making of" show that lasts 30 minutes and shows only the fun and interesting bits.

The "hardcore pirates" sometimes have actual deliberate resentment against content creators. And, I hate to say it, but SL can _create_ that. You come into a brand new virtual world where you hope to become a success, maybe make things, maybe make money.. but what your experience actually does, is to prove to you that you weren't good enough. After all, many people in RL believe that they could be great artists or entrepreneurs if only they were given the chance, and so actually giving them the chance pulls their safety net out from under them. And the radiance that many content creators like to put out, that "they weren't professionals or talented or anything, they just got inspired in SL and worked their way up" can actually make that worse. It's understandable, although not excusable, that they'd wind up hostile in this case.

In real life, "creative talent" is largely a societal concept used to curb this kind of resentment, and it might need to be brought into SL in a similar way.

OPEN SOURZZZ= "Can I have your stuff?" Sure. Anytime.

Retitled, perhaps. However, this is by no means the most damaging place this information has been published. Try a google search for "second life textures".

all i get is a couple of pages of refferences to texture programs/tutorials/slx

try a google on glintercept

Actually, the first RL business ever to use SL as a marketing platform was a bank. Wells Fargo had the first corporate presence ever in SL.

If a company's IT department laughs at the prospect of using ANY platform for marketing, laugh right back. Those guys aren't in the marketing department for good reason. They don't know how to market a business any more than the marketing guys know how to run a network. Neither department should ever be the one to make a decision on behalf of the other.

Anyway, what the heck could IT possibly have to be afraid of? It's not like people would be exposing their bank account information to SL just because the bank happens to have a marketing presence in it.

Look, when the Intenet first took off, all kinds of companies said "We can't have a website. Our logo would have to go on it. People could download our logo. We can't have that. The sky would fall." Obviously nowadays, any such argument is rigtly viewed as ridiculous. The benefits of having a website so far outweigh the drawback of having people be able to copy your log, it goes completely without saying.

The same is true for virtual worlds. Whether some IT jackass in the basement of some company somewhere gets it or not, virtual worlds are here, in the same way the Internet was here in the early 90's. Those companies who embrace them will be the first to prosper. Those who don't will be left playing catchup.

Either way, what's required is new thinking. So content can potentially be stolen, so what? Make your business model revolve around more than just content, and it won't matter. Building communities, I believe, is what it's going to be all about. Content will just be a footnote to that. If I'm Citibank or HSBC or someone, should I really spend my time worry about whether some schmuck is gonna steal the texture for that nifty new T-shirt I just had made, or would my time be better spent using the platform to commune with my customers? I think the answer is pretty clear.

That said, as someone who makes content for a living, I'm of course deeply concerned about IP theft, always. But that can't be an excuse for companies to miss out on what virtual worlds have to offer. There will always be demand for high quality content, whether some of it ends up stolen or not. Content itself can't be the end goal, though. Content needs to be just one small part of a much larger whole. Community building is what will make companies successful in virtual worlds. And that's something that can never be stolen.

Jeezus H people.. if you're going to discuss proper returning search terms, take it to PM!

quality content in sl comes as scripts or builds

copying builds is easy, textures not, now the copycats know how to get the same textures

they don`t even have to sell them, pick a designer you have a grundge with, copy his stuff along textures and make them freebies

if sl was only about communities, it would get empty pretty fast in no time

nothing to discuss on that as the op provided the program name wich shows on top all search engines

This thread is rapidly becoming a treatise on how security through obscurity is destined for failure. We're all aware that the technology is inherently insecure and depends on humanity's good nature. Any constructive commentary?

Yumi, surely you must realize that your second sentence here totally negates the first.

Why do people mistakenly feel that artists are rich? Because they haven't been educated properly to the contrary, obviously. If more people knew the real truth, they would certainly care.

Not everyone would, of course. Some people will steal no matter what. But as I said, no amount of technology will ever stop those people. Lock the vault, they'll bring a lock pick. Seal the vault, they'll bring a blow torch. Encase the vault, they'll bring explosives. Nothing will ever stop a determined thief. A huge amount of casual theft would stop, though, if people were educated well enough to understand that intellectual property is just as much property as physical property.


Yes. What you're describing is exactly what I said, poor education. Had those people actually witnessed the full extent of the creative process, most would feel differently.



In my experience, it's more often the case that pirates force themselves to resent content creators simply to justify their acts of piracy to themselves. It's a way of not having to think about what they're doing. I'm sure your explanation applies to some as well, though.

But that's not what we're talking about. As I've said several times, hardcore pirates will always find a way. The vast majority of people don't fit into that category.




I'm not sure what you mean by that.