‘Dam Burst’ disables Chinese internet filter in apps

The American researcher Jon Oberheide has created a tool to bypass the Green Dam Youth Escort filter in applications. The user does not need administrator rights to use Dam Burst.

Although the Chinese rulers have scrapped previous plans for the mandatory introduction of the filter for new PCs, the Green Dam Youth Escort filter is mandatory on PCs in schools and Internet cafes. Shortly after the software’s release, hacking tools appeared left and right to bypass the filter, but administrator rights are almost always required to install these tools on a Windows system, which limited its functionality.

Security researcher Jon Oberheide developed Dam Burst, a tool that does not require administrator rights and does not require installation. This allows the hack tool to be started directly from, for example, a USB stick. Dam Burst removes the so-called api-hooks of the Green Dam Youth Escort filter for any selected application. Thanks to the ‘dam break’, a Chinese internet user can surf without the filter imposing restrictions or trying to map his surfing behaviour. In addition, Oberheide states that a system with a disabled filter will also be less likely to fall prey to hackers.