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Pooh Bear
Guest
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 Posted:
Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:38 am Post subject:
More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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Virus writers are exploiting Sony's controversial anti-piracy software
to hide their malicious creations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4427606.stm
Graham
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Andrew
Guest
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| Posted:
Sat Nov 12, 2005 9:35 am Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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Yep. Quite a screw-up. Ony 20 CD's affected, though. Wonder how much that
will cost them.
I hope they get it stuck to them. For the most part, PC users are not savvy
enough to detect and correct virus problems. Sony has lumped itself into the
same dark group as the virus writers.
I abandoned P2P music downloads because of the inherent spyware problems
with the host software. Now that Sony is including these features on their
CDs, it makes me reconsider my strategies.
"Pooh Bear" <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4375558B.2B1E07F1@hotmail.com...
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Joerg
Guest
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| Posted:
Sat Nov 12, 2005 5:35 pm Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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Hello Graham,
Assuming they don't inform users on the CD wrapper about that I smell a
whole lot more lawsuits.
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com
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Tim Wescott
Guest
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| Posted:
Sat Nov 12, 2005 11:53 pm Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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Joerg wrote:
That's what itty bitty fonts are for.
--
Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com |
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Joerg
Guest
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| Posted:
Sun Nov 13, 2005 12:51 am Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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Hello Tim,
| Quote: | Assuming they don't inform users on the CD wrapper about that I smell
a whole lot more lawsuits.
That's what itty bitty fonts are for.
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True. They might have a warning about DRM or whatever on there. But then
the question will arise whether an average consumer can be expected to
understand it and whether the consumer was made aware of the fact that
this can increase the virus risks. Most likely these questions are going
to be asked in court.
Anyway, this morning's paper had a short blurb in there, about Sony
stopping this scheme for now. Maybe their lawyers pulled the emergency
brake.
The company may be able to swallow a few cases. But if it comes to some
widespread virus problem and a class action is permitted, oh boy.
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com |
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Fred Abse
Guest
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| Posted:
Sun Nov 13, 2005 1:35 am Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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On Sat, 12 Nov 2005 02:38:03 +0000, Pooh Bear wrote:
According to the BBC website, Sony have announced that they are
discontinuing the practice.
Let them try getting the genie back in the bottle ...
--
"Electricity is of two kinds, positive and negative. The difference
is, I presume, that one comes a little more expensive, but is more
durable; the other is a cheaper thing, but the moths get into it."
(Stephen Leacock) |
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Donald
Guest
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| Posted:
Sun Nov 13, 2005 1:35 am Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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Fred Abse wrote:
| Quote: | On Sat, 12 Nov 2005 02:38:03 +0000, Pooh Bear wrote:
Virus writers are exploiting Sony's controversial anti-piracy software
to hide their malicious creations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4427606.stm
Graham
According to the BBC website, Sony have announced that they are
discontinuing the practice.
Let them try getting the genie back in the bottle ...
From the BBC article: |
"In response to the concerns, Sony has released a statement "deeply
regretting any disruption that this may have caused." It added that it
would work with anti-virus firms to ensure its anti-piracy system stayed
safe."
"to ensure its anti-piracy system stayed safe." !!!!
Whos saftey are they talking about ??
Its only going to get worse. |
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Jasen Betts
Guest
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| Posted:
Sun Nov 13, 2005 11:38 am Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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On 2005-11-12, Andrew <adeweerdSNIPTHIS@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
| Quote: | Yep. Quite a screw-up. Ony 20 CD's affected, though. Wonder how much that
will cost them.
I hope they get it stuck to them. For the most part, PC users are not savvy
enough to detect and correct virus problems. Sony has lumped itself into the
same dark group as the virus writers.
I abandoned P2P music downloads because of the inherent spyware problems
with the host software.
|
change to open source software. GTK-gnutella is clean. there may be
something for windows too... possibly the pay version of your favourite
client.
--
Bye.
Jasen |
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Mac
Guest
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| Posted:
Mon Nov 14, 2005 9:35 am Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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On Sat, 12 Nov 2005 04:47:32 +0000, Andrew wrote:
| Quote: | Yep. Quite a screw-up. Ony 20 CD's affected, though. Wonder how much that
will cost them.
I hope they get it stuck to them. For the most part, PC users are not savvy
enough to detect and correct virus problems. Sony has lumped itself into the
same dark group as the virus writers.
|
[snip]
Actually, even expert users cannot necessarily be expected to figure out
things as tricky as this DRM rootkit. The guy who made all this stuff
public (Mark Russinovich) is a pretty savvy customer. ;-)
http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html
--Mac |
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Mike Young
Guest
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| Posted:
Wed Nov 16, 2005 1:35 am Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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"Pooh Bear" <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4375558B.2B1E07F1@hotmail.com...
I especially like this line:
[Now anti-virus companies have discovered three malicious programs that use
XCP's stealthy capabilities if they find it installed on a compromised PC.]
I think they misspelled "unleashed", or "wrote". Damned efficient of them. |
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Pooh Bear
Guest
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| Posted:
Fri Nov 18, 2005 9:35 am Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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John Larkin wrote:
Sony have really made a hash of the whole business.
How about this from the above link.. " Microsoft's anti-virus team said earlier on Tuesday it would add a detection and removal mechanism to rid a
PC of the Sony DRM copy-protection software, because it jeopardized the security of Windows computers. "
Graham |
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John Larkin
Guest
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Guest
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| Posted:
Wed Dec 07, 2005 1:35 am Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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Maybe Sony should have read this first:
The effort required to enforce copyright is approaching infinity.
Encryption, the Industry counters: we will be so clever that we'll
only distribute a product that can be unlocked and used by the
customer, by the miracle of the cipher, a secret code.
The Internet was built for maximum survivability in a nuclear war.
It's everywhere, and growing exponentially. How's the hell is
Entertainment business going to keep up with that? And copyright all
you want. The Internet doesn't care; if it can be digitized and
loaded onto a networked computer, it will be everywhere, soon. The
cyborg guarantees it. Go ahead - sick your lawyers on a few dozen
downloaders. It's just a finger in the dyke; a thousand new holes
will appear every day. Squared.
Comparisons of the Internet to a military cyborg really aren't
hyperbole. The grim history is that Internet was originally built as a
cybernetic military command-and-control infrastructure for
coordinating, among other things, the launch of nuclear missiles.
Researchers at the Department of Defense figured out that virtual
communication circuits on a network beat the heck out of literal,
point-to-point circuits of dedicated wiring. This scheme of virtual
circuits brought with it the prospect the military could build a
control system that could fix itself instantaneously if it sustained
damage. Damage, as in, nuclear damage. When a segment of the network
was compromised - as in, "Oh, heck - they just nuked Denver"
- the system could re-configure these virtual circuits on-the-fly -
with computers and routers instead of work crews with pliers, wire and
soldering guns - and the messages would still get through, right now.
Simply, the Net interpreted sudden silences in any of its network nodes
as damage, and routed around it.
That is the Prime Directive, core message, and DNA of the Internet, all
in one: If you can't get a message through one channel, route around
it - invisibly, silently, relentlessly - until you make the
connection.
And here's the commercially grizzly implication of that Prime
Directive no entertainment executive has, as of yet, been able to
understand: The Internet interprets commercial interest, censorship or
virtual toll-booths of any kind as damage. And routes around them.
Invisibly, automatically, instantaneously.
quoted from http://www.thomasscoville.com/Tinseltown_Burning.pdf
"Why downloading isn't wrong, copyright is dead and Hollywood is in
decline." |
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Joel Kolstad
Guest
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| Posted:
Wed Dec 07, 2005 1:35 am Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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<alonzo_heem@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1133910176.385080.13320@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | The effort required to enforce copyright is approaching infinity.
|
The corollary to this is that the effort required to circumvent copyrights
(even for 100% legitimate fair uses) is also approaching infinity. :-(
This is why we're rapidly heading towards seeing a lot of new legislation that
defines what is and isn't allowable for companies to do in their (reasonable
enough) quest ot protect their IP. Unfortunately, Sony went way over the line
of "acceptable protection" into what's clearly the sleazball and possibly even
illegal arena with their root kit... jerks.
The folks who decry the putative millions/billions/whatever dollars lost per
year due to software piracy are kinda in the same boat as environmentlists:
The Earth will outlast the human race anyway, it's just a question of how
crappy we leave the planet by the time it gets there. Likewise, software
creation will outlast all attempts at IP protection/legislation/etc., it's
just a question of how crappy it becomes if piracy becomes so rampant
companies really do lose significant sales and can't afford to hire decent
programmers anymore. |
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John Larkin
Guest
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| Posted:
Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:35 am Post subject:
Re: More bad news about that Sony rootkit |
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On Tue, 6 Dec 2005 17:28:02 -0800, "Joel Kolstad"
<JKolstad71HatesSpam@yahoo.com> wrote:
| Quote: | alonzo_heem@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1133910176.385080.13320@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
The effort required to enforce copyright is approaching infinity.
The corollary to this is that the effort required to circumvent copyrights
(even for 100% legitimate fair uses) is also approaching infinity. :-(
This is why we're rapidly heading towards seeing a lot of new legislation that
defines what is and isn't allowable for companies to do in their (reasonable
enough) quest ot protect their IP. Unfortunately, Sony went way over the line
of "acceptable protection" into what's clearly the sleazball and possibly even
illegal arena with their root kit... jerks.
The folks who decry the putative millions/billions/whatever dollars lost per
year due to software piracy are kinda in the same boat as environmentlists:
The Earth will outlast the human race anyway, it's just a question of how
crappy we leave the planet by the time it gets there. Likewise, software
creation will outlast all attempts at IP protection/legislation/etc., it's
just a question of how crappy it becomes if piracy becomes so rampant
companies really do lose significant sales and can't afford to hire decent
programmers anymore.
|
One or two people can write a good application program, and make a ton
of money selling it for $25 a copy, or just charging for corporate
support. Similarly, one or three people can make great music, and get
rich giving it away and doing concerts. But Microsoft writes rotten,
buggy bloatware and charges a mint for it, and Sony gives the
"artists" a pittance and price-fixes the CD market.
There's only one proper response to Microsoft or Sony: bootleg.
John |
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