Software blacklist

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

Software blacklisting is a tool used by manufacturers of software and music on CD and DVD to prevent copying.

Essentially the software on the disc will audit the user's computer for certain types of virtual CD and CD authoring software, or for debugging software used by warez groups to create patches (known as cracks) that bypass copy prevention schemes. If blacklisted software is found then certain actions are taken by the software on the game or music disc. Examples would be allowing the copying of the game to take place, but crashing the copied game when attempting to start it; allowing copies of games that will malfunction in subtle ways; simply disallowing the game to be run while this software exists, etc.

This software blacklisting can be seen as a countermeasure to virtual CD/CD burning software used to bypass copy prevention schemes such as SecuROM, SafeDisc, Laserlock, and many others.

In order to copy the CD, the user may have to copy the disc on another computer (real or virtual), uninstall the blacklisted software or wait for an update of the blacklisted software, that will have a countermeasure to the game or music disc's own blacklisting countermeasure.

There are also some programs that can hide software from blacklists, such as Anti-blaxx.

Examples of commonly-blacklisted software are Daemon Tools and Alcohol 120%.