AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Steam revolutionized the PC gaming industry by providing a centralized marketplace for purchasing and downloading video games. This helped combat the lack of standardization and trustworthiness of games found on the internet prior to Steam's existence.
A game developer managed to bypass Steam's three-step approval process by tricking the website into thinking their game was already published. As a result, the game 'Watch Paint Dry' became available on Steam without undergoing the necessary review process.
Video game console makers like Nintendo and Sony have actively tried to prevent modding and the use of mod chips. However, mod chips and emulator devices, like those released by Team Executor, have allowed users to hack consoles, upload custom firmware, and play pirated games.
Team Executor faced backlash for charging a license fee for their SX OS software used on Nintendo Switch consoles. People were upset about paying for pirated software and criticized the company for charging for a modified version of an open-source emulator.
The podcast episode discusses the controversy over Red Hat charging for the free and open-source Linux software. While some questioned the ethics of charging for someone else's code, Red Hat defended their decision, citing the software's licensing under the GPL. The debate centers around the interpretation of the license's letter versus its spirit.
The podcast explores the legal actions taken against Team Executor, a group selling devices that allowed pirate games on the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo sued the group's resellers, and the FBI arrested Gary Bowser and Max A Million, members of Team Executor. While Gary pleaded guilty and received a 40-month prison sentence and a $14.5 million restitution order, Max A Million managed to evade capture. The episode also delves into the lack of support from Sony and the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) in pursuing legal action.
Team Xecuter was a group involved with making and selling modchips for video game systems. They often made mods that allowed the video game system to rip games or play pirated games. It was a crowd favorite in the modding scene. Until it all fell apart. The story of what happened to Team Xecuter must be heard to believe.
This episode features Gary Bowser. You can find more about Gary here:
https://twitter.com/Bowser_GaryOPA
https://garyopa.com/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/garyopa-restarting-his-life?utm_location=darknetdiaries
Sponsors
Support for this show comes from Axonius. The Axonius solution correlates asset data from your existing IT and security solutions to provide an always up-to-date inventory of all devices, users, cloud instances, and SaaS apps, so you can easily identify coverage gaps and automate response actions. Axonius gives IT and security teams the confidence to control complexity by mitigating threats, navigating risk, decreasing incidents, and informing business-level strategy — all while eliminating manual, repetitive tasks. Visit axonius.com/darknet to learn more and try it free.
Support for this show comes from Thinkst Canary. Their canaries attract malicious actors in your network and then send you an alert if someone tries to access them. Great early warning system for knowing when someone is snooping around where they shouldn’t be. Check them out at https://canary.tools.
Support for this show comes from ThreatLocker. ThreatLocker has built-in endpoint security solutions that strengthen your infrastructure from the ground up with a zero trust posture. ThreatLocker’s Allowlisting gives you a more secure approach to blocking exploits of known and unknown vulnerabilities. ThreatLocker provides zero trust control at the kernel level. Learn more at www.threatlocker.com.
Sources
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/10/27/ringleader-pleads-guilty-in-phone-fraud/56e551bb-a727-43e8-a3ca-1c1f4cf6ef82/
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao/legacy/2010/10/12/usab4304.pdf
https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendo-to-appeal-not-guilty-judgement-of-flash-cart-sellers-7
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/nintendo-pounces-on-global-piracy-outfit
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-members-notorious-videogame-piracy-group-team-xecuter-custody
https://medium.com/swlh/watch-paint-dry-how-i-got-a-game-on-the-steam-store-without-anyone-from-valve-ever-looking-at-it-2e476858c753#.z05q2nykc
https://www.lemonde.fr/police-justice/article/2022/05/27/voler-des-societes-qui-font-des-milliards-qu-est-ce-que-j-en-ai-a-faire-max-louarn-c-ur-de-hackeur_6127821_1653578.html
https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/20/21579392/nintendo-big-house-super-smash-bros-melee-tournament-slippi-cease-desist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7VwtOrwceo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sNIE5anpik
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode