Re: [NF] FTDI disables devices with counterfeit chips

On Thu, Feb 4, 2016 at 9:51 AM, Alan Bourke alanpbourke@fastmail.fm wrote:

Well, it's punishing the wrong people is the problem.

That was my feeling as well, arguably 'unauthorized damage to a computer' a crime under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in the US.

Someone who loses access to his faxmodem might just be annoyed, but people using these devices in industry could actually encounter some serious damage or losses. I've seen a number of posts in computer forums from folks who are buying new computers and realizing they need an adapter to interface their laboratory or industrial equipment. This is not just an electrical adapter, but needs to have some smarts to act as a 16550/8250 UART, the classic serial controller chip command set.