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Ubisoft’s Uplay has a mixed reputation; while it brings rewards and social elements to games, it’s also known for its internet-based copy protection and occasional security risks. However much you like the service, it’s sticking around — Ubisoft has confirmed that Uplay is coming to both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The “full scope” of the service’s features will be available in the company’s games for both platforms, including launch titles like Assassin’s Creed 4 and Watch Dogs. Whether or not that includes copy protection isn’t clear, however; there’s no word of any DRM beyond what’s built into the consoles. We’ve reached out to Ubisoft for clarification, and we’ll let you know if it sheds more light on the subject.

Filed under: Gaming

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Via: Eurogamer

Source: Uplay

Most modern companies that rely heavily on information technology to ensure that their business is capable of moving forward at all times would definitely also invest a fair amount of money into security, considering the very real threat of hacking these days. It seems that a group of hackers has gotten their hands on Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and other gaming titles, circumventing DRM (Digital Rights Management) in the process. This happened after hackers broke into Ubisoft’s Uplay service, and it was not too long after that that the recently announced Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon has already been spotted on torrent sites as we mentioned in our earlier story.

If there is anything to add to the hacking of Uplay, it would be this – there is a silver lining in every cloud, and the silver lining here would be the equivalent of assurance from Ubisoft that no user information was compromised along the way. As they work to resolve security issues, Uplay services will remain available, and this is what Ubisoft mentioned, “We are aware of the issue and are working to resolve it quickly. No personal information was compromised. Uplay’s PC download service will be unavailable until the problem is fixed, however all other Uplay services remain available.”

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Mega Man Plush Arm Blaster, Helmet Instantly Turns You Into The Blue Bomber, Xbox 720 Will Be Able To Take Control Of TV And Set Top Box,

If you’ve played Assassin’s Creed 2 (or other Ubisoft games), you may have installed more stealthy infiltration than you bargained for. Some snooping by Tavis Ormandy around Ubisoft’s UPlay looks to have have discovered that the service’s browser plugin, meant to launch locally-stored games from the web, doesn’t have a filter for what websites can use it — in other words, it may well be open season for any maliciously-coded page that wants direct access to the computer. Closing the purported, accidental backdoor exploit is thankfully as easy as disabling the plugin, but it could be another knock against the internet integration from a company that doesn’t have a great reputation for online security with its copy protection system. We’ve reached out to Ubisoft to confirm the flaw and learn what the solution may be, if it’s needed. For now, we’d definitely turn that plugin off and continue the adventures of Ezio Auditore da Firenze through a desktop shortcut instead.

Update: That was fast. As caught by Geek.com, the 2.0.4 update to UPlay limits the plugin to opening UPlay itself. Unless a would-be hacker can find a way to compromise the system just before you launch into Rayman Origins, it should be safe to play.

Filed under: Gaming, Software

Ubisoft UPlay may accidentally contain web plugin exploit, Ezio would not approve (update: fixed) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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