List of warez groups
This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. (June 2021) |
Warez groups are teams of individuals who have participated in the organized unauthorized publication of films, music, or other media, as well as those who can reverse engineer and crack the digital rights management (DRM) measures applied to commercial software. This is a list of groups, both web-based and warez scene groups, which have attained notoriety outside of their respective communities. A plurality of warez groups operate within the so-called warez scene, though as of 2019 a large amount of software and game warez is now distributed first via the web. Leaks of releases from warez groups operating within the "scene" still constitute a large amount of warez shared globally. Between 2003 and 2009 there were 3,164 active groups within the warez scene, with the majority of these groups being active for no more than two months and with only a small fraction being active for many years.[1] The warez scene is a very competitive and volatile environment, largely a symptom of participation in its community being illegal in most countries. Groups are generally not driven by profit, but by reputation.[2]
Groups
3DM
3DM is a Chinese video game cracking group. Their founder and leader is reported to be Su Feifei, more commonly known by the pseudonym "Bird Sister" (
3DM were one of the first peer to peer file sharing groups to offer cracks for games which utilized DRM produced by Denuvo. As newer versions of Denuvo DRM became more challenging to reverse engineer, 3DM gave up trying to crack games with Denuvo DRM.
In 2016 the group claimed that piracy of games produced by large developers and publishers would be impossible in the coming years, due to the technological challenges of reverse engineering and ultimately cracking the virtualization and licensing schemes employed by new DRM solutions like Denuvo. One of the most notable groups on the web at the time, they publicly announced a year hiatus from developing cracks for games. Since returning in 2017, 3DM have only released games which use Steam licensing, only releasing copies of better protected games which include cracks made by other groups. This practice has been criticized by the groups whose cracks were included in releases under the 3DM name.[4]
CLASS
CLASS (also known as CLS) was a warez group which was the target of federal raids such as Operation Fastlink. They were a global group with members worldwide, often releasing game "rips". The group ceased operations in 2004 after their 1,234th release.[5]
CODEX
CODEX (also known as CDX) – was a warez group founded at the end of February 2014. They were known for releasing copies of games which used
In late 2017 CODEX gained notoriety by becoming the third scene group (and fifth overall entity) to crack Denuvo DRM when they released a cracked version of
These cracks were previously released on the web attributed to the Russian cracker "Empress". Later, a cracker who self-identified as C0000005 began releasing cracks under the name Empress as well, suggesting that they are one and the same and that C0000005 had access to source code for CODEX's cracks. On June 27, 2019 CODEX released a crack for Star Wars Battlefront 2, about 527 days after its commercial release. On October 29, 2019 they published a cracked copy of Borderlands 3, another game distributed with Denuvo DRM, 46 days after release.
In late 2019, a crack developed by CODEX for
On February 23, 2022, CODEX announced its retirement in its cracked release of
CONSPIR4CY
CONSPIR4CY (releasing mostly as CPY) is a warez group founded in 1999 in Italy. They rose in notoriety after releasing Rise of the Tomb Raider and Inside in August 2016 under the name of CONSPIR4CY,[19] though they resumed using the 'CPY' tag shortly thereafter with the release of their cracked copy of Doom in September 2016.[20] They became the first group to create proper cracks for games protected by the third iteration of Denuvo DRM software.
They cracked
In February 2019, CPY released
DEViANCE
One of the most prolific warez groups active from 1998 to 2006. Their dissolution has been described as the end of an era, and the current affiliation of ex-DEViANCE members is a reoccurring argument between groups.[25][26][27] Describing members of a modern warez group as ex-DEViANCE became something of a joke within the warez scene.
DrinkOrDie
DrinkOrDie (also known as DoD) members were targeted by law enforcement in raids stemming from Operation Buccaneer. DOD was considered the most famous Software Piracy group in the warez group history, formed in Russia in the early 90s and was known for its diverse leadership and influence, combined with members from Europe, the USA, Australia, and Israel.
Echelon
Echelon was a warez group which specialized in the release and distribution of
EViLiSO
Released American Pie on the Internet 3 months before its theatrical release.[28][29] They branded their releases with a digital watermark of the letter "Z" which appeared in the corner of the frame.[30] The bootleggers were associated with a web site in Argentina devoted to Quake.[31]
EVO
EVO (short for EVOLUTiON), is a Portuguese release group mostly known for releasing leaked
FAiRLiGHT
FAiRLiGHT (releasing cracked games as FLT) is one of the oldest groups in warez scene, founded in 1987. As of 2017 the group seemingly focuses on demos and art,[38] with their most recent release of cracked software in December 2016. FAiRLiGHT members were apprehended in raids stemming from the law enforcement Operation Fastlink. As of May 2021, a group using the name FLT has been actively releasing games using Steam DRM. Notable releases are: Days Gone, Guilty Gear Strive, and Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition among many others. It is believed they are the same people behind the groups HOODLUM, DOGE and VACE.
Hoodlum
Hoodlum (also known as HLM) mainly focused on cracking games which utilized digital rights management solutions offered by
The Humble Guys
The Humble Guys (also known as THG) were the first warez group to make use of NFO files to document their releases.
HATRED
Founded in late 2006, HATRED was very active during 2006 to 2007. ViTALiTY has claimed that HATRED were former members of DEViANCE.
HYBRID
HYBRID (also known as HBD) was founded in 1993.[44] HYBRID later split up when the US-members founded DYNAMIX (later PRESTIGE and PARADIGM).[45]
International Network of Crackers
International Network of Crackers (also known as INC) was one of the premier cracking/releasing warez groups for the IBM PC during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The majority of their releases during 1993 were educational games for children. By early 1994, INC had completely disappeared from the warez scene.
Kalisto
Kalisto is a
maVen
maVen was a film release group from October 2005 until the summer of 2006. Releases from maVen stopped when the FBI caught Gérémi Adam, one of its key members. The 27-year-old Montreal resident has been sentenced to two and a half months in prison and was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. He pleaded guilty to distributing two major motion pictures: Invincible and How to Eat Fried Worms.[46][47] After the bust, releases ceased until another group called maVenssupplieR immediately took up the slack.[48] In April 2010, the 28-year-old Gérémi Adam died of a drug overdose at the Pointe-aux-Trembles home he shared with his girlfriend, Cynthia Laporte.[49][50][51]
mVs (Maven Supplier) released a workprint of Halloween three days before its official release on August 27, 2007.[52]
Myth
Myth was a warez group, focused on cracking and ripping PC games. Besides ripped games, the group also released trainers and cracked updates for games.
PARADOX
PARADOX (also known as PDX and sometimes PARADiSO) was founded in 1989, mainly cracking games for the Amiga. They went on to crack software for the Windows operating system and other consoles. They were one of the earliest groups to successfully crack Windows Vista, which was supposed to be a difficult task based on changes Microsoft had made to the activation scheme for the software.
PARADOX attracted attention from 2011 to 2012, as they published files for playing unauthorized copies of games on the
PARADOX is well known for developing a utility known as "Preee",[55] which automates the creation of NFO files and the packaging of warez releases into multi-part RAR archives and subsequent creation of ZIP archives containing those RAR files depending on the warez scene rules being followed.
In July 2020, after 3 years of inactivity, someone published a cracked copy of Monster Hunter: World, a game utilizing Denuvo DRM, with its Iceborn DLC using the name and NFO template of the group PARADOX.[56]
Phrozen Crew
Phrozen Crew (PC) was one of the most popular groups of
Pirates With Attitudes
The Pirates With Attitudes (also known as PWA) were a major international warez release group from 1992 until 2000. The group was formed by two former INC members known by the pseudonyms Orion and Bar Manager. PWA members were the subjects of law enforcement raids after the passing of the
Project X
Project X exclusively released games for the Xbox.[59] In 2004, Project X was named as one of six groups targeted as part of Operation Fastlink by the United States Department of Justice.[60][61]
Rabid Neurosis
Rabid Neurosis (RNS) was an MP3 warez release organization which was founded on June 6, 1996.[62]
Radium
Several verses of the rap song Hackers and the Crackers by Zearle are devoted to the group Radium. In 2004, evidence was presented that some of the system sound files included with the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, such as WMPAUD1.WAV, were authored using an unlicensed version of Sound Forge which was supplied by Radium.[63]
Razor 1911
Razor 1911 (also known as RZR and RazorDOX) was founded in 1985 in Norway. Its primary
The group made a comeback in June 2006,, as well as games for Linux and macOS.
RELOADED
RELOADED (also known as RLD!) was founded in June 2004.[69] Their founders are believed to be ex-DEViANCE members, though their rival group HOODLUM claimed in December 2004 that none of DEViANCE's previous leaders had ever been part of RELOADED.[70] The group has cracked several modern protection schemes like SecuROM 8, Blizzard's Battle.NET, and Arxan Anti-Tamper. In 2022 the group was reported as still active and working with team BTCR.[citation needed]
REVOLT
REVOLT gained popularity for creating solutions for cracked games to have working multiplayer features, and later for cracks of games using Denuvo DRM which were released by its founder. REVOLT was founded by a Bulgarian teenager, who used the online handle Voksi. In July 2018 the REVOLT website began redirecting to the website of the Bulgarian Ministry of the Interior.[71] The same month, Voksi, then in his twenties, reported having been raided by Bulgarian law enforcement in response to a complaint filed by Denuvo parent company Irdeto. In comments made to media organisation TorrentFreak, Voksi alleged that "five or six officers, including two from Bulgaria's General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime (GDBOB) and others from a local police station" entered his home and seized personal computing equipment.[72]
Risciso
Risciso (stylized as RISCISO) was an online warez group, founded in approximately 1993, dedicated to distributing newly released copyrighted software, games and movies. Risciso was founded as a co-group of RiSC (Rise in Superior Couriering), which was the most famous trading group in the BBS era and the beginning of the file sharing era on the internet.
SKIDROW
SKIDROW is a well-known cracking group originally formed in 1990, cracking games for the
The group has released cracks for
In July 2017, in a statement released to commemorate their 10th consecutive year of releases since re-emerging in the PC game cracking scene, SKIDROW made cryptic remarks that the techniques used by CONSPIR4CY, STEAMPUNKS, and members of the Steam Underground warez forum to crack modern copy protections are not proper.[23] These criticisms were themselves criticized on the web, as SKIDROW's apparent standards for a proper crack would seemingly disqualify both their most notable crack of Ubisoft's persistent online connection requiring DRM, which they emulated, and their most recent notable release of a Denuvo-protected game, which they cracked by modifying the executable from another game.[77]
Steam Underground
While not precisely a group, the community centered around the Steam Underground web forum (also known as cs.rin.ru) and its members have been a notable source of warez development, releases, tools, tutorials, discussions, and information pertinent to other groups since at least 2008. The forum has both Russian and English language boards, and is the home to a number of projects primarily focused on cracking, emulating, and otherwise extending the capabilities of Steam and games released on Steam. Games on other platforms may also be discussed on their own board.
The forum and its members have often been referenced as some variation of "the Russian site/forum"[23] or directly by name by warez scene groups in statements which mention the site.[78] At least one prominent member of the forum has been in contact with warez scene release group members, as they published several non-public cracks for The Sims 4 which they attributed to tools or methods obtained from the cracking group RELOADED. This individual was then given access or knowledge related to EA's Origin licensing scheme and DRM, as they began to release their own cracks for updated versions of The Sims 4 based on the same cracking technique.
The site is also notable for being one of the few that actively distributes cracked games for the Oculus Quest VR headset.[citation needed]
Steam Underground encountered a financial problem because their biggest supporter, Russian Information Network (RIN), stopped sponsoring the forum after 17 years of support for the Underground. As a result, Google Drive uploads by the member RUI are no longer available because he can no longer afford the payment that Google demands.[citation needed]
STEAMPUNKS
STEAMPUNKS released unauthorized copies of games which utilized
Superior Art Creations
Superior Art Creations (SAC) is an underground artscene group which caters primarily to, and is well known within, the warez scene.
Tristar and Red Sector Incorporated
Tristar and Red Sector, Inc. (also known as TRSI) began as an alliance between two warez groups: Tristar and Red Sector Incorporated. They were formed in 1990 as a cooperative Commodore 64 demo coding and cracking group. TRSI migrated from the Commodore 64 release platform to the Amiga and IBM-PC, and eventually branched off into the console gaming scene before finally disbanding their warez division. In late 2003, TRSI became inactive and remains so today.[third-party source needed]
United Software Association
The United Software Association (also known as USA) was a prominent IBM PC games and applications warez group during the 1990s. USA formed an alliance with the PC warez division of Fairlight which was known as "USA/FLT". In late January 1992, several members of USA were arrested by the United States Secret Service and the Farmington Hills, Michigan police for credit card fraud.
ViTALiTY
ViTALiTY (also known as VTY) was founded in May 2005. It has been suggested they were former members of DEViANCE.[26] The group was considered blacklisted by many in the warez scene in October 2007,[79] something ViTALiTY claims was orchestrated by rival groups RELOADED[80] and FAiRLiGHT,[81] though the latter claim they were against it.[82] ViTALiTY was accused of either reporting or threatening to report members of other groups to the FBI,[79] though ViTALiTY claimed a senior member of RELOADED threatened to do the same to them.[80] ViTALiTY's last release was an update to Dragon Age: Origins on 7 January 2011.[83]
See also
- Comparison of BitTorrent sites
- Crack intro
- Nuke (warez)
- Standard (warez)
- The Scene
- Topsite (warez)
- 3DM
- Online piracy
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