Sony DRM and Root Kits

[neil.b]

There's a storm brewing about the software installed by Sony's DRM copy-protected CDs. According to several sources (most comprehensive one linked below), the software installs root kit patches which are all but impossible to uninstall or remove. The problem being (apart from the obvious) is that this falls well within the realms of "spyware" which the US in particular are hot on legislating against.

Have a read, it's pretty alarming stuff.

http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html

[aldi]

That's pretty harsh of Sony, I can imagine some of those wacky drivers really messing things up in the right circumstances and being a massive pain to track down. I hope that spyware/virus scanners start picking it up!

[Mr E]

Read it on El Reg this morning. Sad thing is, 99% of punters will simply go "Wha?"

[tvrforever]

that is seriouslt bad news... I was involved with the top DRM providers for content a few years ago and they all took this very seriously - frankly amazed at the amateurish nature of this code though!

[aranell]

I'm surprised that more virii and spyware haven't adopted some of these practices yet. The one worrying thing is the fact it got written into safe mode...stuff like that could cause some nasty problems!

- A

[neil.b]

It beggars belief how they can get away with installing something at that level. Did you read the stuff about the guy trying to remove the layer that it had installed - his CD drive stopped working and could not be seen by Device Manager. Apparently there's nothing in the EULA to cover their arses either. They are on very thin ice with this one.

The easiest way to deal with it is, as one commentor said, just don't install the drivers and send the CD back (or don't buy them in the first place) and claim a refund on the grounds that it wouldn't play. Hit them where it hurts - in the pocket. Having said that, I know friends who have blindly installed it without question.

[aranell]

neil.b said:

The easiest way to deal with it is, as one commentor said, just don't install the drivers and send the CD back (or don't buy them in the first place) and claim a refund on the grounds that it wouldn't play. Hit them where it hurts - in the pocket. Having said that, I know friends who have blindly installed it without question.

I think the problem is that you don't actually *know* you are downloading this stuff onto your PC. And I think if you have Autoplay running, it installs it as soon as the CD starts? It makes you wonder if they are the only company who have done this, or if there are others that noone has discovered yet....

- A

[aldi]

I had a PC that I clean rebuilt last week cause it wouldn't stop bluescreening, it was a bitch too with every flavour of sage and loads of banking stuff - over the previous few weeks It'd had every component replaced & tested, and an XP repair done, but thinking about it now the guy did play a hell of a lot of music CD's on it...

DAMN YOU SONY!!!

[neil.b]

aranell said:

neil.b said: The easiest way to deal with it is, as one commentor said, just don't install the drivers and send the CD back (or don't buy them in the first place) and claim a refund on the grounds that it wouldn't play. Hit them where it hurts - in the pocket. Having said that, I know friends who have blindly installed it without question. I think the problem is that you don't actually *know* you are downloading this stuff onto your PC. And I think if you have Autoplay running, it installs it as soon as the CD starts? It makes you wonder if they are the only company who have done this, or if there are others that noone has discovered yet.... - A

True. Still, I bet there's no query box that says "Do you mind if we install stuff that will rape your computer?"

[Plotloss]

Silly boys.

It will get line level ripped from a CD player and then shared on the P2P's

Which will enable people to take a financial stand but with the benefit of having digital copies of a protected album.

Record companies should be buying venues and management companies and focussing on making money from live music or looking at other solutions generally rather than trying to protect the market they dominate in an outmoded fashion.

[aldi]

Bill Thompson on the beeb has just done an article about this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology

For once, he seems to have written something that didnt make me scream at the screen and think 'You mindless, self-publicising bar steward'. (Allthough thats probably cause I just happen to aggree with him on this issue )

One interesting fact he points out is that if you google for 'van zant cd' now, the first hit is someone bitching about sony on Amazon and the second hit is the sysinternals article

[[k]ar|]

A couple of interesing things about this story, aside from those already made in relation to security, permission and so on. Firstly, some backpedalling from Sony...

www.theinquirer.net/?article=27416

... and now an interesting use to which this software is being put. As it appears the rootkit essentially stealths certain files and processes from the system, it is being used to circumvent anti-cheat systems for on-line games. It's only a matter of time IMHO before the same techniques are used for more nefarious means.

www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/04/secfocus_wow_bot/

Way to go, Sony

[k]

[technobob]

There is a utility that detects hidden rootkits, if you go to this address

www.sysinternals.com/SecurityUtilities.html

and download rootkit revealer.

[Mr E]

aldi said:

For once, he seems to have written something that didnt make me scream at the screen and think 'You mindless, self-publicising bar steward'. (Allthough thats probably cause I just happen to aggree with him on this issue )

I'm so glad it's not just me that does that.

[tvrforever]

so anybody been infected then?

[aranell]

tvrforever said:

so anybody been infected then?

Would you own up to having bought and listened to a Ricky Martin CD?!

- A