So you can read everything here:

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/02/19/flight-sim-group-put-malware-in-a-jet-and-called-it-drm/

Basically to sum it up: This company injects malware into their game and affects your computer when you instal their game. It works as a Google Chrome Keylogger, but "only" if you pirated the game. That means, if you bought the game on a legal way, you still have that program on your PC but it is (probably) not doing anything.

If you decided to pirate the game instead, they want to steal your passwords that you use in the Internet browser.

I don't even know what ideas you have to have, to come up with something like that. Do they plan to steal people's money from their PayPal account, because they want their money back ?!

No idea about the US, but in the EU this will most likely bring them a big lawsuit and nothing else.

If there is a way to stop people from pirating your game, this is NOT the way!



EDIT: Many interesting comments including the official statement of the developers: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/7yk8oi/flight_sim_aircraft_developer_distributes_malware/

If cd checkers show anything, it's that you can't detect piracy accurately. If it were so, why not just keep the game from running or get the user's contact information to sue?

Also, malware distribution is highly illegal in most countries.

I'm pretty sure that spreading malware is as illegal in the US as it is in EU. I hope that bites them back so hard that it will still be in 100y considered a bad idea by every developer.

Just like Max Rockatansky.

He makes sure no one can steal his car by setting it to explode if anyone does try to steal it.

Wanted to say the same. It definitely IS illegal - especially if such malware is able to collect passwords and such as mentioned in the article above.

She's the last of the V8s. She sucks nitro... with Phase 4 heads! 600 horsepower through the wheels! She's meanness set to music and the bitch is born to run!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... *wheeze*
BWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I hope the class action lawsuit coming at FSL puts them out of business.

Holy smokes. I get that the plane in question took 8 years to "develop" but.... No. This is *not* ok.

There's definitely something weird going on with this DRM, but it's not entirely clear what it is. If you follow that link from the reddit forums, FSL states that it's untrue that the DRM collects passwords. But then they go on to specify it doesn't affect 'legitimate' customers. They don't actually tell you what the DRM actually does though. Either way, this is not good at all. It boggles the mind that anyone could think that something even remotely like this would be okay to use.

Remember when computer games asked you a question you'd have to look in the manual to find the answer to? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

I feel no pity for those pirates when they use Google Chrome for the web browsing ;),but to think that that malicious code is sitting on PC's of legit customers.... Lawsuit incominggggggg,get dooowwwnnnn ;).Cheers

Injecting keyloggers is definitely illegal here. I hope those users affected by this sue this company out of existence.

Well this sounds very shady... Gog, please stay DRM free forever, we don't need this type of crap in our games!

"This method has already successfully provided information that we’re going to use in our ongoing legal battles against such criminals."

Speaking of illegally aquired "proof" ... I guess they aren't allowed to use this information at all.

Maybe next time they try to tap the phones of potential pirates? But why wasting so much time at all? Since they obviously don't care about laws at all - just search for the pirates and put them in their cellar room. We don't need any laws, we are developers. ;)

(The above of course is meant to be sarcastic and should not be an invitation to do such things)

You might want to mind how you phrase here. You say it is their game, ie they're the ones that made the game.

They're a third party developer making DLC/Addon/whatever for another product.

Its a small thing, but with internet vitriol being what it is, one should be wary of possibly directing it in the wrong direction.