Flight Simulator Installs Password-Stealing Malware in Attempt to Combat Piracy | Hacker News Reader

Flight Simulator Installs Password-Stealing Malware in Attempt to Combat Piracy

motherboard.vice.com

39 pointstony1017 comments

I just don't understand the end game here, find banking passwords and transfer the cost of the game? That seems like fighting civil liability with easily traceable felonies.

That's what I thought as well. It doesn't seem that they though farther than "if you pirate our game, we'll get all your passwords to everything".

Goddamn that's all sorts of evil and disproportionate. They should be sued to hell.

The forum post from the developer says: "This method has already successfully provided information that we're going to use in our ongoing legal battles against such criminals."

So their plan seems to be using the stolen account information to find the identities of people that they think are pirating their software.

IANAL but isn't that illegally obtained and therefore unacceptable evidence?

IANAL, but in the US, I think only government agencies are barred from introducing illegally-obtained evidence.

I could be wrong, but I think that if I (as a private citizen, not affiliated with any law enforcement agency) steal evidence to submit to the police, then that evidence is still admissible in court, provided no government agent solicited me to steal it. However, I would still be guilty of any crimes I committed to obtain that evidence.

Sort of like how Facebook isn't subject to the first amendment. The bill of rights only protects against government actions.

I think you are wrong but I'm not a legal expert.

Stealing evidence doesn't allow you to provide it in court. Because the very fact that you stole it will call into question the veracity of everything else you say and do.

I'm speculating, but rather than use the credentials to transfer money (which is unquestionably criminal), it's more likely they would log into such accounts to find your name and address (which is also criminal, but w/e) so they can follow up with demand letters.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com