Sony Says It Will Patch The Rootkit... Sort Of
from the too-little-too-late? dept
Sony BMG and First 4 Internet, the makers of the rootkit copy protection that's getting so much attention these days, have announced that they'll be releasing a patch to fix the problem, while also delivering a fix to various anti-virus firms to put into their tools as well. Note that this patch doesn't actually remove the copy protection or even make it that easy to uninstall. It just reveals the part that was hidden deeply in the computer. This isn't quite the response that folks like Ed Felten suggested they take. Also, no word on whether or not other labels that use the same tools, like Universal Music, will also be releasing the patch.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
The big question is
Sony gets a pass for a couple of days, until they have a response, because they're a big advertiser?
Sad.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
Oh wait I'll just burn a copy of the patch on a CD and bring it everywhere I want to play the CD so I can "fix" every "infected" PC I want to play the CD on?
What is this, a cruel joke?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: No Subject Given
Thanks to Sony, you are now making it easier for people at work who listen to MUSIC CDs, to easily get fired.
...
Though, I am guessing that my MUSIC CD should not even be placed into a computer's CD-ROM drive at all. So why doesn't Sony just state on their packaging, "Not intended for computer CD-Rom drives." and let those who do use the disc against that warning, get punished by being fired or having their computer system's security compromised -- but that sounds like too harsh of a punishment, doesn't it? This is exactly what Sony is doing though.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: No Subject Given
The discs that sony releases with music on them do not comply with Philips Red Book standards.
So before anyone asks; yes, it would be possible to sue Sony for marketing these 'round things' as CDs
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: No Subject Given
While the original 'corrupt audio' CD's messed with error correction and were not standard compliant, it's my understanding that the latest protected CD's are a completely standard data session followed by a completely standard redbook CDDA session.
Also this is truly a virus; you're allowed to make up to three copies via the special player on the original CD, and each of those copies will include the same autorun rootkit which will infect any computer they're used on.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
I don't usually buy CDs, and my downloading days are quite gone. I've ripped my CD collection and replaced my old tapes with MP3s. Just when I start getting interested in a few new CDs I read about this.
No way in hell am I buying another CD until this shit stops. My downloading days are back and no longer limitted to music I've already "licensed".
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]