[Rockin Robbins]

Ubi paid big money to Sony for SecuROM to protect its game. Unfortunately, it means that many can't even play Silent Hunter 4. On my computer I run a Microsoft improved task manager called Process Explorer. It is as innocuous as a calculator, having nothing whatever to do with game piracy.

But because its author, Mark Russonovich, (look him up) cost Sony billions of dollars when he discovered and publicized that Sony had installed malware on millions (at least) of computers, turning off their CDROM's ability to write to CDR and DVD writable disks, with a rootkit, which became part of the operating system, hid itself from all processes, installed without the knowledge or consent of users and which had no uninstall procedure. Sony was forced to recall muchas music CDs with the rootkit on them. Sony was forced to divulge its evil deeds and fix it as much as possible at the cost of billions of dollars.

So Mark Russonovich's programs found their way to the Sony blacklist. SecuROM, on the startup to the games protected by SecuROM, scans your memory for the presence of any programs on the blacklist. In our case, if it finds one you cannot run Silent Hunter 4.

This is all slimy behavior by a slimy company who deserves not one cent of our money now and forever. How many Sony products will you buy in the next year? Every one of them is replaceable by a better product. Sony has not earned one penny and has not received one penny from my pocket for ten years. That's only the beginning! Even on SH4UBM, where Ubi announced SecuROM was removed and wouldn't bother us, the scanner still works and if I'm running Microsoft Process Explorer SH4 will not run. Of course I can exit Process Explorer, start SH4UBM and immediately restart Process Explorer. It's not as if Sony actually has a brain in their head or had any intention of truly protecting Silent Hunter 4. They just wanted Ubi's money. Ubi is their first victim.

Interestingly, now it is Microsoft doing stupid malware tricks on its own Windows 7, automatically, without notice, knowledge or consent of its users "upgrading" millions of PCs to Windows 10. Now Microsoft is hiding its malware from malware scanning software and the operating system, working from within hidden directories. But nobody is prosecuting Microsoft. What were once vices are now virtues. There will be no penalty. Microsoft will get away with a scheme that makes the Sony Rootkit debacle look like a kid's game of hide and seek. It justly cost Sony billions. It will make Microsoft billions. But not a penny from me. I've purchased my last Microsoft product.