Two Xbox Anti-Hacking Patents Published? 14
theodp writes "The USPTO published two interesting patent applications late last week, both apparently from Microsoft. Architecture for manufacturing authenticatable gaming systems is designed 'to prevent hackers from easily obtaining valid credentials for purposes of cheating or other improper uses'. This is done by placing pre-established secrets on game systems during console manufacturing. Network architecture for secure communications between two console-based gaming systems establishes links using secrets derived from authentic game consoles running authentic game titles." These were both originally filed back in late 2001, but is this just convoluted syntax for what the Xbox already does, or is anything interesting going on here?
It sounds like the Intel chip ID (Score:1)
another set of dumb patents? (Score:4, Insightful)
For example, there is the Zero-Knowledge-Test (ZKT) used for authenticating peers without actually transmitting a shared secret.
And a "Network architecture for secure communications between two console-based gaming systems"??? Haven't they ever heard of the SSH or SSL protocols?
What a waste of time and effort. Why would they bother to file this patents?
Are patents useless in the software world? I mean, as a programmer, I know that there is more than one way to solve a problem, so what kind of protection do you get with a software patent?
Re:another set of dumb patents? (Score:2)
Your basing you comments on the title of the patents alone. Talk about a waste of time and effort.
You know what, I seem to always end up posting on these patent articles, after speading half and hour reading the patents, explaining in a paragraph to people who obviously don't care, what the patent is truly about.
but i'm not going to do it this time. i'm too tired, and in the end, who cares. Your wrong, you didn't read'm, they are nothing like SSH/S
Microsoft patent stategies ? (Score:1)
They can then:
1) Find some way of applying the patents, perhaps a lawsuit against some company which will not be able to afford fighting MS ( regardless of the validity of the lawsuit )
2) Prevent someone from suing them ?
3) ????
4) Umm they don't need any more do they ?
Too... (Score:1)
So... (Score:2, Insightful)
Xbox is appealing due to it's hard drive, but it seems MS are hellbent on preventing people from doing what they want with the hardware they paid good money for.
Of course, this is Microsoft, so hardly a surprise...
Re:So... (Score:2)
"Cheating" in the online sense, for example, includes running an aimbot proxy that has hooks into your game so that you have 100% accurate robotic aim.
Re:So... (Score:1)
This is what the Xbox already does (Score:1)
Sorry, but I don't see any evil motives or anything here. Preventing cheating in multiplayer games (and this is what the patents are about) is a damn good thing, and the patents actually talk about encrypted network communication and SystemID/key pairs which are stored on their central servers for authentication. Together with their EXE signatures this is a quite good protection as it prevents messing around with the game code. Of course you can build your own custom hardware to patch the game in memory aft
Re:This is what the Xbox already does (Score:2)
The motives for applying the technology are good. Cheating in multiplayer games is a huge problem, and it's good that they're doing what they can to prevent it. However, applying for a patent on that technology amounts to yet another in a huge list of USPTO giving out patents to unworthy companies for old tech.
My only concern is.. (Score:1)
Neither the S/Key method described, nor the networked technologies described are anything "innovative" that Microsoft came up with. Certainly secured encryption is important to prevent cheating but this sounds like Microsoft is trying to claim exclusive rights to a concept tha
Re:My only concern is.. (Score:3, Informative)
I think there's a huge misconception on slashdot about what a patent is, exactly. You cannot patent a general concept. What you patent is a specific method of doing something. For example, there are several hundred patents issued for different types of can-openers. Obviously, the concept of opening a can has been around since cans were invented. But, not surprisingly the methods used