Pc gamers have long had a heated affair with Ubisoft’s PC DRM. Their Uplay service – which not only checks for legality, but also adds stat and achievement tracking and leaderboards might give Pc gamers cause for more ire; it could contain a rootkit allowing unfettered access to all your files.
That’s according to Google information security engineer Tavis Ormandy – who discovered the potential security risk after installing Assassin’s Creed: Revelations on his PC. He noticed that Uplay installed a browser plugin that could allow malevolent websites to crack open your PC – allowing nasty people access – and control – over your system.
If you’ve played any of the following Ubisoft Pc games – you could be affected.
- Assassin’s Creed II
- Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
- Assassin’s Creed: Project Legacy
- Assassin’s Creed Revelations
- Assassin’s Creed III
- Beowulf: The Game
- Brothers in Arms: Furious 4
- Call of Juarez: The Cartel
- Driver: San Francisco
- Heroes of Might and Magic VI
- Just Dance 3
- Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
- Pure Football
- R.U.S.E.
- Shaun White Skateboarding
- Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic
- The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom
- Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
- Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction
- Your Shape: Fitness Evolved
If you have, this link will tell you if your PC’s unsecure as a result of the UPlay plugin. If that is the case…you might want to disable it, post-haste. Let’s hope this was a case of human error – and not an intentional backdoor. Not too long ago, Sony got in to a bit of trouble for installing a rootkit on people’s machines thanks to the DRM on their audio cd’s…and were forced to do product recalls.
We’ve contacted Ubisoft about the matter – and will let you know if we hear anything.
Last Updated: July 30, 2012
