Given CPCUG's public statements about copy protection, the following
report, if true, represents a new low in the copy protection market.
This information was downloaded on 6/22/87 from the NASA Information
Technology Center BBS.
.
           **TROJAN ALERT**   >>> SUG.ARC / SUG.COM <<<
.
The file called SUG.ARC (SUG.COM) is supposed to be an unprotect file
for Softguard.  This little Gem will ask you to put your ORIGINAL
Softgard protected disk in the drive, and then BAM!! it displays this
message:
.
"You have violated the license agreement under which you received the
software. All of your data has been destroyed. This destruction
constitutes prima facia evidence of your criminal violation. If you
attempt to challenge Softguard Systems, Inc. or the software vendor
in court, you will be vigorously counter-sued for infringement and
theft of services; we believe that our case will have more merit to
it than yours.  If you have any questions con-cerning this matter,
you are invited to contact our lawyers at the following address:
.
      Softguard Systems Incorporated
      [address and telephone number given].
.
We'll be happy to explain to you the precarious legal position you're
in.  We wish you good luck in restoring your software from backups
and we hope that in the future you'll act more like an honest user
and less like a thief.
.
It will look for drives A: & B: and, get this, a Drive C: or better!
In other words, it will wipe out the FAT on your hard disk too, just
to "teach you a lesson". Assuming that Sofguard really did create
this file, I have the following comments.
.
First, Softguard's battle (battle?  you might prefer to call it
terrorism) against protection busters is almost moot, for most major
software publishers have dropped the idea of copy-protection
altogether. Perhaps this very fact has put Softguard's management in
a mood bad enough to lash out thus.
.
Second, Softguard's legal position seems quite shaky to me. Last year
Vault corporation announced a software protection scheme that would,
if it detected a fradulent effort to copy the software, make "Vietnam
look like a birthday party" (or some such thing) by planting a worm
that would slowly but surely destroy the user's files.   When Vault
announced its worm-based copy-protection scheme, many knowledgeable
people expressed the opinion that Vault was likely to be liable for
damages if people lost valuable data because of the scheme.  What
Softguard seems to be doing is definitely more vicious.
.
I think therefore that the Softguard folks (if SUG.ARC did indeed
originate from them) are relying on the individual not having the
financial resources to sue them or to withstand a long legal battle
if they sue him.  It's therefore a strategy of intimidation.
.
Does anyone know about this, or have confirmed information as to the
source of the file SUG.ARC?
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