EVE Online Simple Trainer Trojan Horse

If, like me, you recieved this email:

Hello EVE Online community,

Gold Harvest Macro Solutions is proud to announce the retail launch of the Simple Trainer automated skill training macro for use with EVE Online! Simple Trainer will take any length skill plan for an unlimited number of characters and train it automatically. It has an easy to use interface that allows any user to create or upload their personalized skill training plan and begin training in minutes. No extensive setup is required to use Simple Trainer and you do not need to monitor it either. Simple Trainer will read and react to the information presented on the screen in a manner that will not get you or your account in trouble, so it is completely safe to use. Your account information is not necessary, but if used it is only stored locally and we stand by our promise of safety.

Be warned that the software being offered contains a Trojan Horse that will probably swipe information from your computer and send it off to the authors of the program.

Massively reports that this has been verified by CCP and they have put out a warning about this program.

Of course, I know you would never be tempted to use such a program, but somebody out there might.

The author of this scam can apparently be reached at andrew@simpleminer.com, just in case you were interested.

10 thoughts on “EVE Online Simple Trainer Trojan Horse”

  1. Anon

    This is a false Trojan horse warning and is just an attempt by CCP to hurt their business. Proof can be found on their website and by the fact that download sites have tested and approved the product for download.

    Like

  2. Wilhelm2451 Post author

    Well, Anon… or Andrew… given the data that gets collected along with comments, I could not credit you with being unbiased on the subject. I’ll have to go with CCP’s word for now.

    I see a similar message over at Massively by an Anon as well.

    Like

  3. Anon

    I am completely biased on the subject and for good reason. Simple Trainer was unjustly labeled as a bad program and I would like to clear the situation up. Reporting these trojan warnings to your virus scanner will result in a confirmation that these warnings are false. Many macro programs will cause these warnings because their code automates key strokes, which is a flag for these virus scanners. A file within the programming language AHK was also partially to blame and the news item on [site removed so as not to advertise EULA violating products] shows a link to a AHK forum post discussing this; those forums contain many others posts about the topic. Download sites have also scanned the program and confirmed it is safe to use.

    Like

  4. Ahnog

    Even if there is no Trojan it is not safe to use. I wouldn’t risk my five accounts by using it even though I would love to have a skill queue.

    Like

  5. Anon

    The program is safe to use. It detects colors on your screen to operate and is undetectable by eve. You do not even undock so it is undetectable to other players as well.

    Like

  6. Wilhelm2451 Post author

    Well, detectability and trojan scams aside, the EULA has the following items in it:

    2. You may not use your own or third-party software to modify any content appearing within the Game environment or change how the Game is played.

    3. You may not use macros or other stored rapid keystrokes or other patterns of play that facilitate acquisition of items, currency, objects, character attributes, rank or status at an accelerated rate when compared with ordinary Game play. You may not rewrite or modify the user interface or otherwise manipulate data in any way to acquire items, currency, objects, character attributes or beneficial actions not actually acquired or achieved in the Game.

    That makes it clear enough to me that your program puts any users account at some risk because it violates the EULA.

    Like

  7. anon

    The program violates EVE’s EULA, but the program is undetectable so you will not be found in violation of this EULA. Macro use is not illegal and the risk gets lower every day.

    Like

  9. nerrollus

    Yeah … Still sounds pretty shifty to me. The “impossible to get caught” thing can only go so far. It’s only a matter of time before CCP finds a way to detect that macro and starts banning accounts.

    Like

  10. Wilhelm2451 Post author

    Comments for this post have been closed as the team behind this particular EULA-breaking program decided that this post was the forum for discussion the legitimacy of such programs.

    It is not.

    For me, the key message was about the trojan. CCP says there is one, the developers disagree, you have to ask yourself who you would trust.

    Like

Comments are closed.