Sony, Rootkits and Digital Rights Management Gone Too Far

Pa ElGrande

This particular issue has very serious implications for both your privacy, data security and stabilty of your operating system. Sony must be made to answer for this.

Sony, Rootkits and Digital Rights Management Gone Too Far
http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html

ressem

Privacy, not really. It isn't a real rootkit, it uses rootkit techniques to hide itself.

Data security and stability certainly. It's a (according to the article) poorly written hidden piece of software, supplied on a Sony audio CD, that slows down your PC, querying file sizes 8 times every 2 seconds, and installs itself as an IDE filter, so using a future removal tool that only partially removes it could temporarily disable your cd drive.

<Conspiracy theory sarcasm>
It's part of sony's eevill plan to slow down the gaming PCs of the world to make the PS3 look adaquate.
</Conspiracy theory sarcasm>

rabbitinlights

ressem wrote:

<Conspiracy theory sarcasm>
It's part of sony's eevill plan to slow down the gaming PCs of the world to make the PS3 look adaquate.
</Conspiracy theory sarcasm>

LOL.

Stephen

Jesus, what a shower of ****. Like someone who commented on that blog post said, Sony make some great products, but they really are a bunch of anti-customer sh1theads.

stevenmu

ressem wrote:

Privacy, not really. It isn't a real rootkit, it uses rootkit techniques to hide itself.

True, but what does the future hold for this kind of technology. It's not hard to imagine later versions of this phoning home to check your licenses, and sure while it's doing that it may aswell send some of your personal details just to make sure it has the right person. Not to mention what might happen if/when real malware writers decide to piggy back on it.

Then again, even installing software and drivers without your express permission is a violation of your privacy.

WizZard

I think one of the most pertinent questions of the blog comments was how it got an unsigned driver past windows, or if it was signed, who signed it? And why?

astrofool

in WinXP a reg key can be changed to allow unsigned drivers to install. Alot of manufacturers use this method to get through unsigned drivers that fail the WHQL tests. Once one driver install does it, it does not get reset either.

Vista will not allow this sort of behaviour.