To bypass blocking software from John Deere, American farmers are hacking their tractors with hacked Ukrainian firmware that is being sold on various forums.
IN modern tractors there are a lot of electronics, and when problems with equipment begin, you need to call the service for repairs. It is very expensive and time consuming, and most farmers are used to fixing everything themselves. In order not to be additional breakdowns, the tractor software blocks any possibility self repair, but very often the equipment breaks down suddenly, and many farmers try to bypass the blockage in order to fix everything with their own hands.
According to Nebraska farmer Danny Klute, when a tractor breaks down, chances are we won't have time to wait for a dealer to come and fix the problem. In addition, in the event of an "unauthorized" repair, many American farmers are afraid that John Deere can remotely turn off the tractor, and the farmer will not be able to do anything about it.
All we have left to fix the tractor is hacked Ukrainian John Deere software that our technicians bought on the black market.
Klute says.
The license agreement with John Deere prompted farmers to take such radical measures.
Such software hacking is quite legal
On the one hand, piracy is illegal, but in 2015 there was a precedent according to which you can modify
computer programs that contain and control the operation of agricultural vehicle when the bypass is a necessary step taken by the authorized owner of the vehicle to make a diagnosis, repair, or legal change to the function of the vehicle.
This means that firmware modification is legal as it can still meet emission requirements. But after the precedent went into effect, John Deere began requiring farmers to sign license agreements.
Cracked version of John Deere PLD Files.
This is a software complex for the repair and diagnostics of agricultural, forestry, construction equipment brand John Deere (all models of combines, tractors, loaders, and other equipment).
The software includes: manuals, instructions, john deer error codes, as well as their solution, electrical circuits, utilities for diagnostics and firmware of equipment, programs for maintenance on-board computer john dir...
John Deere Service Advisor Activation runs on all software versions from version 2.5 to John Deere Service Advisor 4.2.
License term - 10 years.
If in the course of time there are updates of information, manuals, instructions, diagrams - they can be updated officially, through the program, directly from the Jonh Deere server.
Also available, , electronic catalog of original spare parts numbers for all equipment manufactured by John Deere.
Several versions (editions) of the program are available:
agricultural machinery;
Road construction equipment;
Forestry and construction machinery.
Activation takes place:
- On your computer, you see - I work, connect via the Internet to anywhere in the world, and activate it on your computer.
- Send me your laptop/hard drive device, I install the John Deere Service Advisor software, send it back to you.
- I issue a generated key (license) for your laptop or computer to activate the John Deere Service Advisor software.
- In case you have a weak Internet connection, or there is no way to download a large amount of data - I buy a flash drive or disks, I burn images (files), I send them to you by mail (you pay for the cost of a flash drive and delivery).
Modern agricultural machinery is not only workhorse, but also a fairly complex computer system. Moreover, often computer functions are not at all a boon for the end user. Thus, American farmers are forced to put up with significant restrictions that tractor manufacturers (John Deere and others) put into the computer systems of their products.
For example, a farmer cannot carry out simple tractor repairs on his own or entrust this to the workers of the nearest workshop. To do this, you must definitely call an employee of an authorized service center. Otherwise, after self-repair, the tractor will simply stop working. According to farmers, during the period of intensive agricultural work, they do not have time to wait for the appearance of a master from the manufacturer. In addition, in many cases, repairing new equipment comes down to downloading updated firmware. In addition, at John Deere's sole discretion, the tractor can be remotely deactivated without the farmer being able to do anything about it.
John Deere's licensing agreement, which has been mandatory since October last year, prohibits almost all repairs and modifications to farm equipment. In addition, it prohibits farmers from suing a manufacturer for possible “loss of crops, lost profits, loss of value, loss of use of equipment ... resulting from the operation or inactivity of any kind of software.” The agreement applies to anyone who turns a key or otherwise uses a John Deere tractor with built-in software. Only John Dealers Deere and authorized repair shops may work on new tractors.
If the farmer needs to repair the tractor, for example, replace the transmission, and he turns to the nearest workshop, then the tractor will no longer be able to leave the workshop. John Deere will charge $230 and an additional $130 per hour for their technician to get the tractor back on track. And all he has to do is connect special equipment to the tractor's USB port to authorize the equipment.
Farmers are not going to put up with such draconian restrictions and are fighting for their rights. They intend to judicial order terminate the current license agreement. In the meantime, the issue is in limbo, farmers are resorting to the services of third-party craftsmen who bypass the restrictions of equipment manufacturers using John Deere software, which was hacked and modified by Ukrainian hackers. Local mechanics buy such software on closed forums, which can only be accessed by invitation. They then use the software to bypass the tractor's security system. Farmers like this approach because they don't have to wait for a John Deere certified mechanic who is 40 miles or more away from the farm in the event of equipment failure. And a local mechanic with cracked software might be only one mile away from a tractor in need of maintenance.
Most of the software distributed on these closed forums is hacked by hackers from Eastern European countries such as Ukraine and Poland. But the buyers are mainly farmers and mechanics from the United States. On the forums you can also find instructions for bypassing the firmware, cables for connecting the tractor to the computer, generators license keys, speed limit modifiers.
On the one hand, the use of such hacked software can be equated with software piracy. However, in 2015 (Digital Millennium Copyright Act, DMCA). As a result, the steps to change the firmware electronic devices are no longer considered copyright infringements. In particular, it was allowed to modify "computer programs that control the operation of a motorized land vehicle, such as a personal car, commercial vehicle or a mechanized agricultural vehicle ... when bypassing is a necessary step taken by the authorized owner of the vehicle to carry out diagnostics, repair or lawfully change the function of the vehicle.” This means that modification of the firmware is legal if the vehicle can still meet emission requirements after doing so.
This is probably why John Deere changed the license agreement. Now the use of modified software is not a federal crime, but may be regarded as a violation of the license agreement and John Deere will be able to file claims and lawsuits against its customers.
Herself John company Deere claims that customers, as owners of equipment, have the opportunity to diagnose, repair, and service it. At the same time, the use of modified software increases the risk of equipment failure or operation not as planned. As a result, equipment may no longer comply with safety and environmental standards.
Journalists from Vice Motherboard published an article detailing their own investigation into a very unusual phenomenon - the black market for firmware for John Deere agricultural machinery. It turns out that ordinary American farmers are forced to buy custom and semi-legal firmware for their tractors on closed hacker forms.The problem arose because Deere& Company, as well as other manufacturers, began to prohibit "unauthorized" repairs to their equipment. But often farmers cannot wait for an authorized specialist to arrive, and in service center required details will be provided. After all, this can take a very long time. In addition, the owners of the equipment are seriously afraid that the manufacturer can remotely turn off their tractor at any time, and nothing can be done about it.
The John Deere License Agreement dated October 2016 does prohibit owners of agricultural equipment from virtually any repair and modification of equipment. The company also reliably protected itself from possible lawsuits, since the agreement relieves the manufacturer of any liability for “loss of crops, loss of profits, loss of reputation, loss of performance of equipment” and so on.
In underground forums, researchers found hacked versions of the John Deere Service Advisor diagnostic and calibration tool; John Deere Payload files needed to program and set up certain machine components; John Deere Electronic Data Link drivers that allow the computer to "talk" to the tractor. Also on the forums, for free or for money, you can find license key generators, speed limit modifiers, and even special cables for connecting to tractors.
On the one hand, such software modification is clearly illegal. On the other hand, according to the amendments made to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in 2015, and the paragraph regarding vehicles (tractors fall under this category), it is allowed: “modification computer programs, which are part of and control the functionality of mechanized land vehicles, including, private cars, trucks or mechanized agricultural vehicles ... if it is a necessary step taken by the rightful owner of the vehicle in order to carry out diagnostics, repairs or legal modification of the functions of the vehicle. In fact, it turns out that the use of third-party, pirated firmware is legal, as long as pollutant emission standards are not violated.
That is why recently John Deere representatives are forcing buyers to sign the above license agreement. Indeed, in this case, the farmer can be sued not even for using pirated Ukrainian firmware, but for failure to comply with the terms of the agreement. That is, the company still retains a lever of pressure in its arsenal. Representatives of Deere & Company told reporters of the publication that "software modification increases the risk that the equipment will not function as it should." According to them, the use of third-party firmware jeopardizes not only the operation of the machine, but also its owners, mechanics, and other people, and the machine itself can no longer be considered in compliance with regulations and laws on health, safety and environmental protection.
