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Sony Rootkit may Lead to Regulation

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the enough-is-enough dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Computerworld has a story about DHS officials meeting with Sony to read them the riot act, following the rootkit fiasco. From the story: 'A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official warned today that if software distributors continue to sell products with dangerous rootkit software, as Sony BMG Music Entertainment recently did, legislation or regulation could follow.'"

10 of 266 comments (clear)

  1. WTF? by smash · · Score: 5, Interesting
    So if a 15 year old crashes his school's webserver by getting a bunch of friends in IRC to click on it too many times he can be prosecuted, but if a global megacorporation does something far more insidious (effectively, SELLING you TROJANED media), then "we need regulation"?

    Why are people not in jail for this yet?

    (yes, that was a rhetorical question).

    smash.

    --
    I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
    1. Re:WTF? by lennart78 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      According to www.opensecrets.org Sony has, over the years, ponied up millions of dollars in contributions to political parties. I haven't seen that 15 year old script-running-juvenile matching that.

    2. Re:WTF? by jozi · · Score: 5, Insightful


      Corporation: An organization created in order to generate individual profit without individual responsibility.

      That is why no on is in jail, it goes against the very idea of corporations. :o)

      --
      "If you can't live without me, why aren't you already dead?"
  2. The recent Sony experience by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "The recent Sony experience..." This phrase makes me wonder if Sony is going to be a catch phrase.

    "I just bought a DVD with rootkit software on it."
    "You've been Sony-ed", or,
    "That's the Sony experience!"

  3. So.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sony's root kit disabled the Department of Homeland Security's root kit. I can see why they might be miffed.

    1. Re:So.. by jibjibjib · · Score: 5, Funny
      What if I want to make my own rootkit? Will I have to register it with the DHS, and get them to audit it for security holes and check it for compatibility with their own rootkit?

      And what about Linux rootkits? Will Linux rootkits be supported by the DHS? Or will they just be banned altogether? Surely the DHS can't be stuffed writing a Linux rootkit as well as a Windows rootkit.

      Even scarier... what if Linux rootkits weren't regulated at all? Cyberterrorists could go on a rampage of linux rooting, and the government wouldn't be able to stop them, or more importantly, tax them.

      Hmm... that's an idea, the DHS could implement a rootkit tax, to fund their own rootkit development, and better protect our fellow God-fearing American citizens from the cyberterrorists of the future.

      The War on Terror is ending. The War on Rootkits is only just beginning...

  4. Could someone explain? by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A 17 year old writing a stupid trojan that does little but spread receives a 2 year sentence in jail and is only safe from compensation since companies didn't want to have the public know their systems are insecure.

    Read: Juvenile dick-waving without commercial interest -> 2 years prison.

    A large corporation spreading a rootkit with their product to their paying customer with the intent to cripple their customer's software performance (not being able to use it as intended, by manufacturer or user) that also has the capability of spying on their behaviour (allegedly they didn't use that function, but ... yeahsure) receives... a recommendation not to do anything like this again or else we might have to think about creating laws banning this behaviour (hey, those laws exist, enact them!).

    Read: Commercial malvolent infiltration of customer's computers -> Nada.

    The world sure is changing. When I was still in school, adding "commercial" to a crime sure upped your sentence by some magnitude. Nowadays it seems to be your "get out of jail" card if you commit a crime with financial interest.

    Al Capone simply died too early. He'd love these times.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  5. What is a rootkit? by tom6a · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you are looking for a good reference to understand a rootkit I recommend Matt Vea's article "Rootkits: The 'r00t' of Digital Evil." He wrote it back in Novemeber when the Sony fiasco was first revealed. Link: http://www.omninerd.com/2005/11/22/articles/43

  6. Megacorp meets with secret police by The+Mgt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm sure good things will come of this. :/

  7. Re:You haven't figured it out yet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No, that just makes it good business, according to the reprehensible predatory practices that are currently deemed as acceptable business behavior. Corporate execs and shareholders alike love nothing better than to externalize expenses, and they really don't give a damn who has to bear that burden, as long as it's not them.