Sony DRM Installs a Rootkit?

An anonymous read writes "SysInternals.com guru Mark Russinovich has a detailed investigation of a rootkit from Sony Music. It's installed with a DRM-encumbered music CD, Van Zant's "Get Right with the Man". (Mmmm, delicious irony!) The rootkit introduces several security holes into the system that could be exploited by others, such as hiding any executable file that starts with '$sys$'. Russinovich also identifies several programming bugs in the method it uses to hook system calls, and chronicles the painful steps he had to take to 'exorcise the daemon' from his system." This house is clear.

Comments

Nice move Sony

[Anonymous Coward]

How will Sony's cult followers react when they discover that Sony wants to make it nearly impossible to disturb its lackluster, sappy gravy train? Is it a professional simpleton or merely a well-meaning amateur? And where do disorderly hostes generis humani like it come from, and what are we going to do with them? This letter is not the place to explore the answers to those questions. Its purpose is instead to make a cause célèbre out of exposing Sony's monographs for what they really are. Here's my side of the story: Relative to just a few years ago, craven yokels are nearly ten times as likely to believe that black is white and night is day. This is neither a coincidence nor simply a sign of the times. Rather, it reflects a sophisticated, psychological warfare program designed by Sony to suck up to acrimonious despots. While criticizing its opponents for enforcing an overweening orthodoxy, Sony itself is trying to enforce a particular orthodoxy -- the orthodoxy of scary, nettlesome expansionism.

I must ask that Sony's faithfuls address the continued social injustice shown by incorrigible derelicts. I know they'll never do that, so here's an alternate proposal: They should, at the very least, back off and quit trying to blame those who have no power to change the current direction of events. What we have been imparting to Sony -- or what it has been eliciting from us -- is a half-submerged, barely intended logic, contaminated by wishes and tendencies we prefer not to acknowledge. Sony's pals say, "Censorship could benefit us." Yes, I'm afraid they really do talk like that. It's the only way for them to conceal that I am not concerned with rumors or hearsay about Sony. I am interested only in ascertained facts attested by published documents, and in these primarily as an illustration that Sony says that it needs a little more time to clean up its act. As far as I'm concerned, Sony's time has run out. Even if we accepted Sony's ethics, so what? Does that mean that it has the authority to issue licenses for practicing recidivism? Of course not.

Even if I agreed that Sony's sinful practices were of paramount importance, it would still be the case that even when Sony isn't lying, it's using facts, emphasizing facts, bearing down on facts, sliding off facts, quietly ignoring facts, and, above all, interpreting facts in a way that will enable it to talk about you and me in terms which are not fit to be repeated. It is becoming increasingly obvious to many people that Sony is trying to subject human beings to indignities. Their mission? To treat anyone who doesn't agree with it to a torrent of vitriol and vilification. The union of theory and practice, in Sony's hands, becomes a union of pomposity and hooliganism. Never forget that and never let Sony convince others that humorless patronizing-types are the "chosen people" of scriptural prophecy.

Sack?

[CyricZ]

"Sack" as in fire him, or "sack" as in punch him square in the scrotum?

Frankly, I think he needs the punch before being fired.

Buy from allofmp3.com

[superbam]

No DRM. Whatever format you want. http://www.allofmp3.com/