Does AutoCAD 2006 has a back door?

Hi Guys

Somewhere, I think it was an AutoCAD e-mag or web site, I read that
version AutoCAD 2006 has a back door built in that would allow
Autodesk, or any other person who could hack, take control of your PC.
and that by accepting the licence term to install, you are allowing
this!

I'm not dreaming this am I ?

Can some one point me back to the, or any articles on the subject?

Is this true, and at what is the real risk from hackers?

TIA

Alan

 

Hang around and wait for 'clintonG' - he will tell you all about it.

 

CLIIIIIIIINNNNNN-TONNNNN!

 

Yes, you are wrong. The word "enter" is not in Sec 9.5
See: http://go.cadwire.net/?958,6,1

Quastion: If Autodesk purposly included this 'back-door', why advertise
it in the EULA?

I'll bet you watch a lot of the SciFi channel...

 

Hi Alan,

The issue was raised by Paul Waddington in the SMH ( Sydney Morning Herald)
and was pick up by a few of the cad online publications. A reply was
also posted by AD however that did nothing to rebuke the claims.

We are closely monitoring this situation and what the software is doing
(simply because we can) and yes there is concern that the EULA
gives permission to electronically audit your computer. We suspect
that access would be rolled out over several releases if this is the case
mainly for the purpose of licence checking.


Whether this give a hacker any more freedom or control is a
debatable issue however when the program itself has your permission
to audit your P.C then the meaning of hacker might need redefining.

Personally I thought there would have been more debate over this issue.

Most of the comment suggest that if you do not like the EULA
buy something else however in most cases for entrenched ACAD
users this is not an option.


Regards Gary
www.drcauto.com

 

Gary & Clinton

Thank you both very much for your replies, I did find the original
article that alerted me to this issue. it was

Going Too Far? Autodesk Licence Terms
May 25, 2005

http://worldcadaccess.typepad.com/blog/2005/05/autodesk_licenc.html

And Clintons reply/ comments on the article were there.....whilst
looking for information on this subject I also found that there is
also the Autodesk Web Site Notice

“A security issue has been identified that could allow a local user to
gain inappropriate access to another local user's computer. This
problem occurs in a number of Autodesk products. You can help protect
your computer by installing this update.”

Change the words "a number of Autodesk products" to nearly all
Autodesk products would be nearer the truth.... check it out at

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=5549329&linkID=2475323

It makes one wonder if third party hackers are already trying to use
this feature to gain access?

Ok there are those on this newsgroup that consider Clinton paronoid,
and I guess I too could be grouped into that catagory, but just
because we are paranoid does not mean that they are not out to get us!
(VBG);-)

I am supprised that there has not been more discussion, debate and
research into this matter.

Alan














“Most of Autodesk's customers don't read the terms of license when
installing AutoCAD. This makes sense: if you want to use the software,
you have to agree to its terms. Thus, there's no point to reading the
license, because you have no rights to negotiate it. As Autodesk says,
if you don't agree to the terms, return the software.”



This article is the one that exposed that Autodesk has almost
certainly built a backdoor into their software.



All a reasonable person need do is read Autodesk's license and ask
themselves how else Autodesk could "enter" your computer
"electronically" even when given "advanced notice."



Read more at







This is of concern to a large multi-national company who are in the
process of considering moving from another CAD package to AutoCAD.

Any

 

Because when they use it to chack out your LAN or WAN then you can not
protest because by the click of a button you have been told and given
them permission to do what they will ultimately be able too.

It's funny but look at SciFi most of the things considered by writers
of these things come to pass, or are projections into a possible or
actual future.

Man stepping and travelling to the moon

Ok in war of the worlds there was the heat ray - would we not consider
that a lazer beam today?

Space Stations - currently under construction

I'm sure with a little thought that we could find many more.

 

Um... I am forced to assume that you are not using any Microsoft or
Adobe products? Other wise this issue with AutoDESK would appear to be
just another similar instance of licenses being tracked by the
manufacturer via the internet.

The difference between access functionalities that are possible on a
LAN and internet are becoming less and less. These day the only thing
that separates the two is a strong firewall. I'm just curious how
AutoDESK gets pass a good firewall that separating the LAN from the
internet. Can't imagine that any business wouldn't have one. Especially
now a days, when all the pundits are telling individual home users that
they had better get a good one.


------------------------