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1. General information about SecuROM™
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1.1 What is SecuROM™?
1.2 How does SecuROM™ work?
1.3 Is SecuROM™ actually loaded onto my computer?
1.4 Does SecuROM™ install a driver or any other software at the kernel level ("Ring 0") of my PC?
1.5 Is SecuROM™ harming my computer?
1.6 Does SecuROM™ decrease the performance of my PC?
1.7 Does SecuROM™ change settings in my anti-virus program?
1.8 Does SecuROM™ change settings in my firewall?
1.9 Can the installation of SecuROM™ disable my burning or emulation programs?
1.10 Does SecuROM™ disable any other application?
1.11 Does SecuROM™ damage my CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive or burner?
1.12 Does SecuROM™ disable my printer or scanner?
1.13 Does SecuROM™ cause my digital camera or camcorder to no longer be recognized?
1.14 What is a rootkit and does SecuROM™ have one?
1.15 If SecuROM™ does not contain a rootkit, why does my rootkit detector flag SecuROM™ as containing a rootkit?
1.16 Is SecuROM™ spying on me?
1.17 Does SecuROM™ reset the BIOS of my PC?
1.18 Does SecuROM™ send information to external servers?
1.19 Which operating systems are supported by SecuROM™?
1.1 What is SecuROM™?
SecuROM™ is a Digital Rights Management (DRM) system for content distributed via CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or electronically. It was developed and is maintained by Sony DADC Austria.
1.2 How does SecuROM™ work?
SecuROM™ uses two components for disc-based copy control:
1) Software, in the form of strong encryption, and
2) Hardware, in the form of a special signature applied to the disc during manufacturing. The protected executable of a CD-ROM/DVD-ROM title is tied to the signature on the disc by an authentication routine executed at program launch. If the original disc is detected, the program launches properly. If an illegally copied disc is detected in the local disc drive, the program will not launch and the end-user will receive an error message.
SecuROM™ Product Activation (DRM for online activation and digital distribution) works in much the same way. The application is protected with strong encryption and an authentication license is placed on the end user's machine via an online activation. If the authentication license is detected on the enduser's machine, the program launches properly.
SecuROM™ technology suppresses CD-ROM to CD-R copying, DVD-ROM to DVD-R copying, Internet image distribution, and professional piracy.
SecuROM™ offers many different configurations, including different distribution options (on disc or digital download) and different authentication methods (original disc check, online authentication, control of usage rights, etc.).
1.3 Is SecuROM™ actually loaded onto my computer?
SecuROM™ is a DRM system used by software publishers to protect their intellectual property. In the course of applying the solution, certain files are placed onto the computer for the system to work properly.
1.4 Does SecuROM™ install a driver or any other software at the kernel level ("Ring 0") of my PC?
No, SecuROM™ does not install any components or perform any processes at the kernel or ring 0 level. All SecuROM™ components and processes occur at ring 3, the normal application level.
1.5 Is SecuROM™ harming my computer?
No, SecuROM™ does not damage a computer in any way. Great care has been taken to make sure the SecuROM™ system is sound and compatible.
1.6 Does SecuROM™ decrease the performance of my PC?
No, SecuROM™ does not influence PC performance. SecuROM™ is a library integrated into the protected application, and recent versions of SecuROM™ do not contain any stand alone applications.
Some older versions of SecuROM™ install the "User Access Service", which allows a user to share DRM licenses among multiple Operating System user accounts. The User Access Service consumes very little memory (a few hundred kBytes) and virtually no CPU power. This service does not cause a performance decrease.
1.7 Does SecuROM™ change settings in my anti-virus program?
No, SecuROM™ makes no setting changes to any anti-virus program(s), or any software for that matter.
1.8 Does SecuROM™ change settings in my firewall?
No, SecuROM™ makes no setting changes to any firewall program(s), or any software for that matter.
If a SecuROM™ protected application is configured to require an online authentication, firewalls will notice this process and will inform the user that an internet connection is being requested.
Such standard firewall messages do not mean that SecuROM™ is opening a network port on the user's PC for incoming network connections.
1.9 Can the installation of SecuROM™ disable my burning or emulation programs?
No, SecuROM™ does not disable any burning nor does SecuROM change your CD/DVD-drive's burning feature.
SecuROM™ does not disable any emulation programs. Since some emulation programs can be used to circumvent SecuROM™, it may be necessary for the user to manually disable such programs before a software title protected with SecuROM™ can be successfully launched.
It is not necessary to uninstall any of these tools in order to launch your application.
1.10 Does SecuROM™ disable any other application?
No, SecuROM™ will never disable any application. It does, however, look for applications which can be used for malicious or hacking purposes. If it identifies such applications on the PC, it will be necessary for the user to disable them before using the product protected by SecuROM™.
1.11 Does SecuROM™ damage my CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive or burner?
No, SecuROM™ does not damage any optical drives.
1.12 Does SecuROM™ disable my printer or scanner?
No, SecuROM™ does not disable any printers or scanners and does not change any settings.
1.13 Does SecuROM™ cause my digital camera or camcorder to no longer be recognized?
No, SecuROM™ does not change a PC's ability to recognize a camera or camcorder
1.14 What is a rootkit and does SecuROM™ have one?
A "rootkit" can be described as software or a set of software tools intended to conceal running processes, files or system data from the operating system and which can open ports to allow remote access to the system. A "rootkit" makes it possible for viruses or other malicious programs ("malware") to hide content on a user's PC. In this way, a virus or other malware may remain undetected, even if updated anti-virus software is installed. SecuROM™ does not use any rootkit technology.
1.15 If SecuROM™ does not contain a rootkit, why does my rootkit detector flag SecuROM™ as containing a rootkit?
There is no rootkit in SecuROM™. Our understanding is that there is one rootkit detector that incorrectly flags SecuROM™ as containing a rootkit. This is an incorrect detection by one software program. To our knowledge, no other rootkit detectors do so.
1.16 Is SecuROM™ spying on me?
No, SecuROM™ is not spying on you:
- SecuROM™ does not collect any personal information.
- SecuROM™ does not send user statistic to any SecuROM™ or 3rd party servers.
- SecuROM™ does not act as a server and listen to incoming traffic.
- SecuROM™ does not search for cracked games on your PC.
- SecuROM™ does not update itself via the internet.
1.17 Does SecuROM™ reset the BIOS of my PC?
SecuROM™ will not change any settings in your BIOS nor will SecuROM™ reset your BIOS.
1.18 Does SecuROM™ send information to external servers?
SecuROM™ has different features (like a SDK) which the software publisher determines. The two most popular features are the disc check and product activation.
SecuROM™ disc check never connects to the Internet.
SecuROM™ product activation connects to the Internet when you have to enter the serial number (usual case: on first launch of the application) for validation.
No updates for SecuROM™ are downloaded.
The only information sent to our server is the serial and the unlock request code. The unlock request code contains hashes of hardware components of your machine only. These hashes are irreversible.
1.19 Which operating systems are supported by SecuROM™?
The most recent version of SecuROM supports the following operating systems, in both, the 32 Bit, and the 64 Bit (if available) versions.
For Windows Vista and Windows 7: All available editions and languages are supported.
- Windows 2000 SP3 and SP4
- Windows XP Home and Professional
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
If this section has not answered your question, or if you need further assistance, please contact us.