DrinkOrDie (DoD) was an underground software cracking and warez trading network during the 1990s, shut down by a major raid in 2001.

DrinkOrDie was founded in 1993 in Moscow by a Russian with the handle "deviator" and a friend who went by "CyberAngel." By 1995, the group was global. One of its earliest major accomplishments was the Internet release of Windows 95 two weeks before Microsoft released the official version. It is also known for its DoD DVD Speed Ripper released in 1999 shortly before DeCSS. The activity of the DoD group diminished after 1996, and they were not considered major players in the warez scene by 2000. The DrinkOrDie network is considered criminal for copyright infringement. As a rule, they made no financial profit from their activities.

In 2001 the group was busted in an FBI operation called Operation Buccaneer. At the time, DrinkOrDie had two leaders, one in the United States and another in Australia. Members include Dezzy, Hackrat, and ForceKill (who Customs agent Allan Doody claimed was a top software cracker). The network primarily consisted of university undergraduates, but was supported by software company employees, who would leak copies of software and other digital media. DoD most likely received such files indirectly, from other networks. Among the people targeted were also corporate executives, university employees, and government workers. The Australian leader Hew Raymond Griffiths, a.k.a. "Bandido", has been involved in legal action in Australia involving possible extradition to the USA.

External links and references

• Slashdot interview with former DoD member Chris Tresco aka BiGrAr (http://interviews.slashdot.org/interviews/02/10/04/144217.shtml?tid=123)
• Slashdot article on the extradition of the leader of DrinkOrDie. (http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/09/07/0112202)
• ZDNet UK article regarding DoD members standing trial. (http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39170749,00.htm)