Sim market/FSUIPC

[jackpilot]

Did you Guys get this email from Simmarket about reloading FSUIPC?
Jack

[fsaviator]

Yep, just got it.  Also got a similar warning/heads up from Jon Masterson of ADE.

You beat me to the post.

[steveeverson]

Hi Folks,
Also got the mail from simmarket. Just wondered if anyone knew the implications of replacing it in terms of the settings/assingments I have saved?. Most of them are in prosim but there are a few things in FSUIPC like joystick assignments and calibration.
cheers
Steve

[Bob Reed]

So what ia this all about?

[fsaviator]

So what ia this all about?

From Pete Dowson's press release:

Due to a breach in the security of the GlobalSign certificate used to confirm that FSUIPC is a valid and safe package, the certificate is being revoked. This will require ALL users of the software – whether registered or otherwise and using FSUIPC3 or FSUIPC4 – to need to download and install new versions.



Full details are available by clicking "Read more" below, or by visiting Pete Dowson's post here on his support forum, here at simFlight. Download links are available at simFlight; here, or Schiratti.com; here. For a short time, the following direct links to FSUIPC3 (3.999z2) and FSUIPC4 (4.90) at Dropbox are also live.



https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/475129/Install_FSUIPC490.zip



https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/475129/Install_FSUIPC3999z2.zip



Please note that this is not a security breach within FSUIPC itself – it is only the security certificate that has been compromised.



If you aren't sure what FSUIPC is, or whether you have it, full details can be found on the product pages at simMarket and it can be found within your Flight Simulator 9/modules, Microsoft Flight Simulator X/modules or Prepar3D/modules folder. If you have a file entitled "FSUIPCx.dll" (x is dependant on the FS version) then you need to update, in order for FSUIPC to keep working.





Full Press Release text:



FSUIPC will need replacing on all user systems!



For the last ten years FSUIPC has been protected against both unwanted alteration and virus infection by the use of a Code Signature, purchased from and protected by GlobalSign, an officially recognised Windows Certificate Authority.



It has come to my attention that within the last two weeks the same Code Signature has been used to sign malicious software, apparently in the form of Java updates, to make it look valid and safe. Whilst the FSUIPC packages themselves are not affected in any way by these, it does mean that we have had to ask GlobalSign to revoke the signature. This in turn will cause the signature to appear incorrect, and because FSUIPC actively checks it every time it is started the end result is that all versions of FSUIPC3 and FSUIPC4 before today's date will cease to function.



After due consideration it has been decided that we will dispense with Code Signing henceforth, and over the next few days unsigned versions of all of my programs will be released, replacing the signed versions and with incremented version numbers, but with no other changes.



Because only FSUIPC has the Signature self-checking built in, it is the main priority, and versions 4.90 and 3.999z2 have been released today free of this check. All users will need to update for continued use of the program, and software producers who include FSUIPC in their packages are asked to update those as soon as is convenient and practical.



Apologies to all for this unprecedented event. We still don't know how the break in the signature's security occurred but we will be following this up with GlobalSign.



Best Regards

Pete

[Bob Reed]

Holy Cats!! Thanks Warren!

[jackpilot]

I do not see why my FSUIPC should not work anymore as my sim is not linked to internet at all?? (and never has been)
At first I suspected a hoax!


TBC

[fsaviator]

I do not see why my FSUIPC should not work anymore as my sim is not linked to internet at all?? (and never has been)
At first I suspected a hoax!


TBC

That is a good point Jack.  Still, I bet if you hooked it to the internet, it would stop.

[TomR]

That is a good point Jack.  Still, I bet if you hooked it to the internet, it would stop.

It has nothing to do with the internet connection itself.
Just simple, 'if' windows gets the latest information about trusted software with a Microsoft signature then it will block this signature as not save because it is now known as a used signature by a virus (Pete's FSUIPC signature).
So when you start FS and FSUIPCx loads to run then it will check its own signature as trusted by windows but that signature will return as unsafe/not trusted and so FSUIPCx will not allow itself to run.
So as long you don't update windows you will be OK.

[jackpilot]

This being said (Thank you all)
For Guys like me who are not really fluent or afraid to loose settings which took "years" to adjust correctly, could someone more enlightened write here a step by step " FSUIPC reload for dummies".?

[Joe Lavery]

Guys, I'm not 100% sure but I believe all the settings are written into the fsuipc.ini file. So if you move this to a different folder before the update, then back again after, you should retain your settings. Whether this works for joystick calibrations I'm not sure. but they have to be stored somewhere, so it would seem logical.

However this is from the man himself:
----------------------------------------------
The FSUIPC4.ini contains all of your custom settings made using FSUIPC. Save all .MCRO and .LUA files from the Modules folder too. mouse Macros generate MCRO files. The INI file contains all the FSUIPC assignments, calibrations and other option settings. The KEY file contains your Registration.

Regards
Pete
----------------------------------------------

If you're still not sure, the quickest way to find out is to drop Pete a line, he will tell you one way or the other and is usually very accommodating. You can find him on the:

http://forum.simflight.com/forum/30-fsuipc-support-pete-dowson-modules/

hope that helps.

Joe.

[Jetcos]

It is all about the .dll file. Nothing should change. There seems to be  "panic" out there. Thomas' explanation above really sums it up. Most of us should have Windows Updates turned off anyway on our FS PC's. Last thing you want is some sort of Update to mess with your system. Most of us are not surfing and trolling around on our sim PC's anyway. They are mostly secrurity updates for Microsoft products that we haven't installed or use on our FS PC's.

[blueskydriver]

Well, I got hit with this FSUIPC situation...I believe. For the last two months we've been working on the back of the simulator; however, two nights ago everything was reconnected to get some flying in. Started everything as normal, but two of the computers had windows auto update turned on (these were newer additions that I forgot to turn off). Anyway, the CA PFD started by scrambling the image within PM, so I tried to figure it all out, but I was left dismayed because it was only in PM and not windows.

Next, the FO PFD started the same thing right after it rebooted from the update. Mind you both of these computers, as well as all the others have worked flawlessly for a long time. Still, I didn't bother to pursue this because I chalked it up too a "Gremlins Night". You know, those nights where everything goes weird, but the next night everything is fine...yep, Gremlins Nights.

Finally, I plan to fix or update the FSUIPC and WideFS programs to see if the problem is cured. Hopefully, that's all I need to do...not flying really sucks!

John