PARADOX (warez)
Encyclopedia
PARADOX is a warez
–demo group; an anonymous group of software engineers that devise ways to defeat software and video game licensing protections, a process known as cracking
, which is illegal in most jurisdictions. They distribute cracks (software patches), keygen
s (key generators), and pre-cracked versions of entire programs. Over the years, distribution methods have changed, starting out with physically transported floppy disks and BBS
distribution. With the expansion of the Internet they moved on to Usenet
. Today most of their files reach the public over various peer-to-peer
file networks.
Paradox was originally formed in late 1989 by members of the Danish group Trilogy (Bad Boy, Black Hawk, Tas, Pcsu, QRD) and the French group M.A.D (Olivier, Stinger, The Surge, Clash, Tagada). They began by cracking Amiga
software. The group died in 1991 when the most active members joined Quartex. It was reborn under the leadership of 'Maximilien' in 1993, with ex-Quartex members Black Hawk and Paragon as co-founders. Then it moved in to the Sega Genesis and SNES
console scenes. They started cracking PC software in 1994. In 2001, they released their last cracked game for The PSone, and it was the popular video game Final Fantasy IX
. In 2002, the team recruited computer black hat Evilgood, who is alleged to be one of the most qualified crackers of the time. His identity is still unknown. They have cracked games for other consoles and hand-held devices like the PlayStation
, PlayStation 2
, PlayStation Portable
, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64
, Nintendo GameCube
, Wii
, and Xbox
.
Paradox has been noted to crack challenging dongle
protections on many debugging
and software development
programs. Most recently, the team successfully found a method of bypassing activation in Windows Vista
. This was accomplished by emulating an OEM machine's BIOS-embedded licensing information and installing an OEM license. However, with Windows Vista Service Pack 1, this crack no longer works correctly.
Paradox confirm they are working on Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7.
Paradox was first to release SLIC 2.1 details & working crack for Windows 7.
s are known for their aesthetically pleasing designs. Often these GUI
s include impressive transparencies and override the Windows
Minimize, Maximize, Close button bar at the top of all windows applications. They are also known for adding futuristic music reminiscent of chiptunes to most of their key generators.
Some Keygen screenshots can be seen in the website of PARADOX graphic designer 'Alien' .
Nearly all Quartex members in France, including Olivier, Clash and Tagada, were busted in 1991 in the Blue Box affair.
Maximilien was arrested in the Nintendo copiers affair in 1993 and was held in preventive custody for three weeks before fleeing to Spain. Less than one year later, in 1994, the CIA caught him while on trip to Washington in a vast calling card fraud affair. He was sentenced to 5 years and 7 months by a US court.
Another of their members, alias 'tyson', was raided in 2001 as part of Operation Buccaneer
.
Warez
Warez refers primarily to copyrighted works distributed without fees or royalties, and may be traded, in general violation of copyright law. The term generally refers to unauthorized releases by organized groups, as opposed to file sharing between friends or large groups of people with similar...
–demo group; an anonymous group of software engineers that devise ways to defeat software and video game licensing protections, a process known as cracking
Software cracking
Software cracking is the modification of software to remove or disable features which are considered undesirable by the person cracking the software, usually related to protection methods: copy protection, trial/demo version, serial number, hardware key, date checks, CD check or software annoyances...
, which is illegal in most jurisdictions. They distribute cracks (software patches), keygen
Keygen
A license or product key generator is a computer program that generates a product licensing key, serial number, or some other registration information necessary to activate for use a software application.-Software licensing:...
s (key generators), and pre-cracked versions of entire programs. Over the years, distribution methods have changed, starting out with physically transported floppy disks and BBS
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
distribution. With the expansion of the Internet they moved on to Usenet
Usenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
. Today most of their files reach the public over various peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
file networks.
Paradox was originally formed in late 1989 by members of the Danish group Trilogy (Bad Boy, Black Hawk, Tas, Pcsu, QRD) and the French group M.A.D (Olivier, Stinger, The Surge, Clash, Tagada). They began by cracking Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
software. The group died in 1991 when the most active members joined Quartex. It was reborn under the leadership of 'Maximilien' in 1993, with ex-Quartex members Black Hawk and Paragon as co-founders. Then it moved in to the Sega Genesis and SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
console scenes. They started cracking PC software in 1994. In 2001, they released their last cracked game for The PSone, and it was the popular video game Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs...
. In 2002, the team recruited computer black hat Evilgood, who is alleged to be one of the most qualified crackers of the time. His identity is still unknown. They have cracked games for other consoles and hand-held devices like the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
.
Paradox has been noted to crack challenging dongle
Dongle
A software protection dongle is a small piece of hardware that plugs into an electrical connector on a computer and serves as an electronic "key" for a piece of software; the program will only run when the dongle is plugged in...
protections on many debugging
Debugging
Debugging is a methodical process of finding and reducing the number of bugs, or defects, in a computer program or a piece of electronic hardware, thus making it behave as expected. Debugging tends to be harder when various subsystems are tightly coupled, as changes in one may cause bugs to emerge...
and software development
Software development
Software development is the development of a software product...
programs. Most recently, the team successfully found a method of bypassing activation in Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
. This was accomplished by emulating an OEM machine's BIOS-embedded licensing information and installing an OEM license. However, with Windows Vista Service Pack 1, this crack no longer works correctly.
Paradox confirm they are working on Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7.
Paradox was first to release SLIC 2.1 details & working crack for Windows 7.
KeyGen graphical interface and design
PARADOX keygenKeygen
A license or product key generator is a computer program that generates a product licensing key, serial number, or some other registration information necessary to activate for use a software application.-Software licensing:...
s are known for their aesthetically pleasing designs. Often these GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
s include impressive transparencies and override the Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
Minimize, Maximize, Close button bar at the top of all windows applications. They are also known for adding futuristic music reminiscent of chiptunes to most of their key generators.
Some Keygen screenshots can be seen in the website of PARADOX graphic designer 'Alien' .
Demoparty awards
- First place in the Wild Compo category at Euskal 2001
- First place in the Amiga 64 category at Saturne 1994
- First place at Alcatraz Pentcost 1990
Raids and arrests
One of their members going by the alias 'Rokman' was arrested in 1990 for using stolen credit card numbers to make $1 million in long distance calls to other Paradox members for the purpose of file transfers.Nearly all Quartex members in France, including Olivier, Clash and Tagada, were busted in 1991 in the Blue Box affair.
Maximilien was arrested in the Nintendo copiers affair in 1993 and was held in preventive custody for three weeks before fleeing to Spain. Less than one year later, in 1994, the CIA caught him while on trip to Washington in a vast calling card fraud affair. He was sentenced to 5 years and 7 months by a US court.
Another of their members, alias 'tyson', was raided in 2001 as part of Operation Buccaneer
Operation Buccaneer
On December 11, 2001, in an international operation known as Operation Buccaneer, law enforcement agents in six countries targeted 62 people suspected of software piracy, with leads in twenty other countries.U.S...
.
External links
- Official Website - Paradogs.com (DOWN) archived version via Wayback Machine
- Official Community - Sceneboard.Paradogs.com (DOWN)
- An archive of Paradox demos at Pouet
- List of over 150 PARADOX releases
- Official PARADOX mirror list
- Their music