Sony BMG's Other Copy Protection Tech Installs Even If You Tell It Not To
from the that-seems-illegal dept
Yes, the never ending saga of Sony BMG and their copy protection technologies continues. This time, it's more about Sony BMG's other copy protection system, MediaMax, from SunnComm. As you may recall, Sony has only recalled CDs using the XCP copy protection technology from First4Internet. Once again, we have Alex Halderman to thank for bringing this to light. Halderman noted that MediaMax has many spyware like qualities and also discovered the security hole in SunnComm's uninstaller. However, the latest finding is perhaps more problematic. The way MediaMax works is, if you have autorun enabled on your Windows PC and insert a MediaMax-enabled CD, it pops up an end user license agreement (EULA), not really telling you what it's doing. If you realize that you don't want this installed on your computer and hit "no," it's already installed some amount of code that isn't easily removed. However, the latest finding is that inserting another (or the same) CD with MediaMax on it (even if you hit no to the EULA again) will install even more code that will run on your machine even though you specifically told it not to. As Halderman points out, that certainly seems like it's breaking some sort of law. Putting up an agreement that someone declines should mean that no software is installed.
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
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Disabling Autorun
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Disabling Autorun
Dumbass.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Disabling Autorun
"Disabling Autorun can disable your burner"
Oh, do tell how! I'm sure Sony BMG will be
delighted to know there's no two word solution
that can be used to prevent their righteous
DRM software from installing!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
not the point
Ask your average computer user who picked up a Dell or a PC from a warehouse store how to turn off autorun. Yup - that's right - you'll get a glazed expression.
But even that isn't really the point. You're supposed to be taking protective measures to protect you from hackers - not from CDs you PAID GOOD MONEY FOR.
I hope Sony get's REALLY burned on this.
-stormin
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: not the point
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Just like Quicktime, Real, Netscape, ....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Things keep getting worse
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
Anyone able to copy the user agreement?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
How to disable Autorun?
On the left side of the Registry editor, navigate to:
My Computer
-> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
--> SYSTEM
---> CurrentControlSet
----> Services
-----> Cdrom
Select the Cdrom entry by clicking on it.
On the right side of the Registry Editor, doubleclick on the key "AutoRun". A popup appears. In the field labeled "Value", enter 0 (zero). Close the dialog by clicking OK.
Close the Registry Editor.
AutoRun is now disabled.
Cheers, Hedwig
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Disagree
But, when you install a CD in your PC, it's a reasonable assumption that you want to "run" the contents. If running requires installing a small amount of software, then maybe no other permission is required to install this small amount.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Disagree
First of all, I don't 'install' the CD in my PC, I 'insert' it in the same way as I have inserted diskettes, zip-drives, USB-sticks etc. Second, my intention is not to 'run' the content, but to have access to it. There's a difference: I determine which program I will use to access the data on the CD.
And since I have this program on my PC that can access AUDIO CD content (see the label on the box), I want to use that one, not some bundled coding that I cannot trust. Remember that I have bought an AUDIO CD, not a "music player program".
So if you think that inserting a CD in your drive is the same as giving permission to install whatever is on the CD, don't come complaining when you "run" into an internet site that uses the same logic to install an "upgrade" of your browser to better view the spam (or other) content of that site without asking your permission...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Disagree
1. They are just plain stupid.
2. They are employees of the company practicing these illegal methods.
3. They are trolls.
Personally I'd go with options 1 and 3.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
no opnion, just a quick question
anyone help?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]