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Remove xigncode
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This appears to be because Xigncode can't add xhunter1.sys without having administrator rights. If you don't run the launcher as admin, the game won't launch as admin, and Xigncode won't be able to install the system-level explo--I mean part of itself. Strangely still "works" fine despite that... almost as if xigncode3 doesn't do anything of value in NA.
If it actually did do "something of value," I have a feeling people would complain even louder, so maybe a mixed blessing... But anyway, all it seems to do at the moment is look for certain flagged running processes and check the hash of the game files.
Before than Xigncode remove item xp. Sound better. That thing don’t let people enjoy the game anymore
Well, by "something of value", I mean even so much as flagging Cheat Engine (which it doesn't). As far as I know, it doesn't check the hash of any of the gpks or other such data files (if it does actually check hashes, it's probably only tera.exe) which means it can't/won't detect those sorts of modifications, whether cosmetic or malicious (map collision removal etc). It doesn't watch/verify game memory, so all of the the memory editors it doesn't block have free reign to do what they do. It could never be successfully updated to catch things like Proxy or DPS meters as they change far too fast. And especially in the case of Proxy, aren't even precise running processes... xign would have to flag any and all running Node processes which is very impractical.
All I've seen xigncode do is A) get rightfully flagged by anti-virus platforms (most recently both Avast and AVG),
Xigncode does nothing it sets out to do, at least not in any effective or meaningful capacity. All it does is cause extra support headaches for EME every time an AV gets updated and flags it, or unrelated software gets incorrectly flagged by it, or it causes Tera to crash out of nowhere due to already strained memory limitations, or lag due to extra drive load, etcetcetc. No positives and only many negatives. There's no reason to keep it and every reason to get rid of it.
Trust me, that's what I told them too (given that it stops nothing, adding it was pointless and caused more drama than it's worth). Still, I suspect they won't remove it since it's now deployed "fleet-wide."
Also, since the game doesn't require admin privileges to run, I encourage people to not run as admin and therefore not have it install the system driver. As you say, TERA NA does not require it.
In an extension to your advice: Even though the xigncode bypass isn't maintained after the DMCA drama anymore, the third-party devs have released a small batch script that checks if the vulnerable xhunter1 driver is installed and deletes it if required. According to them, the script should work for all games using xigncode as long as you run the script as administrator each time you play, after closing the game.
Their specific recommendation for NA Tera is to make sure that the game isn't running with administrator privileges, then execute the script once to make sure your operating system is safe. Here's the link to the batch file: xigncode-uninstaller.bat
If you don't blindly trust the batch file, that's good! Feel free to open it up in a text editor and inspect it yourself. I did so, too, and didn't find anything shady. Alternatively, you can always just manually check for and delete the file C:\Windows\xhunter1.sys after closing the game.
@KitTeaCup This issue must be taken very seriously by EME and be escalated to BHS/Wellbia as soon as possible!
The game doesn't run with admin privileges by default, which makes the issue at hand less significant than it is for other games. However, people often recommend running the game as administrator to potentially fix arbitrary other tech issues, which means that a bunch of players have the driver installed and their system is now left vulnerable, allowing malicious software to circumvent the very core foundation that their computer's security is built upon. The related tech talk can be found here.
My system had the driver installed as well, and it was done by your TERA. I had never played any other game using xigncode since installing Windows. The fact that EME has neither found out about the issue, nor warned us about it, nor taken steps to get it fixed, nor provided instructions/tools to uninstall the vulnerable driver, is really sickening. How were a bunch of hobbyists able to do all of the above, and why do they still care about protecting your customers more than you seem to do, even after EME took legal action against them? This vulnerability has been publicly known for months now, and we still haven't heard a single word from EME about it.
Forgot to mention it also stops non-Windows users from running the game. KTC could play on her Mac through Wine just fine... if it weren't for xigncode. Or myself on my Linux machine soon. Still missing from EU and RU, at least, so not entirely "fleet-wide".
I, too, would encourage people not to run anything as admin unless absolutely necessary. But it doesn't help that EME's own support page suggests it as effectively the first thing to try after rebooting (which is the standard thing to try with any Windows issue) when getting error 000a:0000 ("Insufficient Memory"), or when support tickets/forum replies suggest either turning off your AV entirely and/or running as admin for certain things.
Just for clarity, I meant fleet-wide for EME (Closers, Kritika, TERA PC). Though, yeah, it is in many of the other TERA regions as well, though not all.
I agree with you in principle, though I also know the difficulty in trying to troubleshoot nuanced issues in general instructions. In an ideal world, someone could help the user troubleshoot an issue without relying on these quick "try this and see if it works" sort of shortcuts. But the shortcuts are usually one-click and often bypass the issue and get the user up and running again quickly, so I see why it's there. Unfortunately, some people keep using these "giant club" solutions to tiny issues as a permanent fix, which isn't good.
Not to mention that even if you just try it once for a quick test, the damage is done and your system is vulnerable forever, even after uninstalling the game. The only solution is to take matters into your own hands. A lot of people probably don't lurk around the forums/discord servers enough to be remotely aware of the threat that this presents to their computer.
Really? You really have high opinions of the player base of this game. Funny thing is I'd bet most of those that stopped playing don't even care enough to use cheats. Why would I download cheats and hacks when I won't even download some deliberately added program?
Whatever the reason, I wouldn't expect xigncode to disappear anytime soon. If you'd like to play a version of tera without it, check out the Gameforge version. Coincidentally, EU's xigncodeless client has not crashed on me once in two weeks of playing, doesn't perform worse the longer it's left running, feels faster and lighter in general, and doesn't require me or my friends to relog constantly in dungeons. Must just be a coincidence though, haha.
Well, I can remember when they were telling everyone that they were definitely not going to be doing anymore mergers. Then, they did another merge. I wouldn't really put much stock in their credibility anymore. Even so, I don't think they will let go of Xingcode. Plus, I think the damage has already been done. Most of those that have left have moved onto other games. It would be tough to bring them back.