This latest identified threat by Futuremark is one that relates to a driver being installed on your computer that gains RING0 access (the highest level of access to your computer). The installation requires Administrator level access to install the driver, which runs all of the time regardless of whether or not you're playing a game with Starforce DRM.

With such a high level of processor access (sharing the same levels the operating system enjoys), the Starforce driver can do anything to your computer at any time. This very ability is demonstrated, since the Starforce driver will force a reboot (not a shutdown) when it thinks it has discovered suspicious activity related to copying. The reboot occurs instantly, and any and all unsaved data could be lost.

In addition, Starforce removes the DPM readings (Data Protection Manager) which must be present on many other non-Starforce protected games, setting the stage for a chain of system events, which basically make it impossible to make even a usable backup copy of your favorite game. Starforce can also block access to some other drivers, requiring certain hardware devices to run in PIO mode (Programmed Input/Output), which results in a lot of overhead for the CPU and a slowing down of your system.

All the recent news and discussions claiming Futuremark would have done any kind of research into StarForce are based solely on threads and posts posted by individual users on Futuremark's public discussion boards. Futuremark as a company has not done any investigations, research or uncovered anything in regards to StarForce.

The material found on the discussion boards is published "as is", and does not represent the official views and opinions of Futuremark Corporation.

Best Regards,

Nicklas Renqvist Benchmark Development Architect