Did Someone Not Pay Attention? Rootkits Found On New DVDs
from the whoops dept
You would think, given all of the negative publicity surrounding the Sony BMG rootkit fiasco, that any company releasing content with copy protection would be careful to make sure that copy protection didn't use rootkit-like functionality. If you thought so, unfortunately, you'd be wrong. Digg points us to an F-Secure blog post claiming that the German version of the DVD Mr. & Mrs. Smith has some new copy protection that at least has "rootkit-like cloaking technology." The Digg post incorrectly blames Sony BMG, who appear to have nothing to do with this DVD (it's a 20th Century Fox offering). It's also not clear from the description how bad the rootkit is. Either way, it seems a bit shortsighted of any company to take such a risk these days.
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
Is it worth it?
Last I recall I seen thousands of copies of this movie floating around the net for a long time now.
The only benifit to copying the actual released DVD is for the extra content and surround sound. But honestly now... any damage that could have been done by allowing others to see the movie without purchasing it has already been done 10 times over. Way before their 'official' DVD version of the movie with their copy prevention technology ever came to be.
All that does is raise the cost of the DVD for sale to consumers who do not deal with Pirate movies, and in that case, once again it is only their core consumers that get hurt, not the ones stealing.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
oy
[ link to this | view in thread ]
farenheight 1984
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]
whos the pirates?
and they call us the problem...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: whos the pirates?
executives need a scapegoat for their bad
decisions and lack of performance. So they
blame the very people they depend on for
their success. You didn't buy their crap,
but it's not crap, it's gold! So if you're
not buying it, you must be stealing it. The
notion that it's crap never enters their
greedy little minds.
They loath the public because they are media
moguls, and elite class that rules the lives
of the mega-stars but it truth if it doesn't
play in Peoria they sunk.
This also explains the propensity for people
in the media for taking extreme stances on
issues they believe lends them some sense of
moral superiority. They're not pandering to
the public as they grub for money, no, they're
leading the great unwashed masses into the
light.
Note to the media executives; stop foisting
crap on the public and your sales will increase.
It's not pirates that are the problem, it's the
product.
Note to the performers; You're entertainers,
nothing more. Your success depends on the
public. I know, it's a bitter pill to swallow.
The fact that you're successful does not imbue
you with special insight, greater intelligence,
or a mandate to express your views on any issue.
Shut up and dance/act/sing then pick up your
money from the stage and leave.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
It isnt about crap
If the restaunt owner has a consistently full restraunt and is making money, he isnt going to give a crap about complaints of food quality (ex. McDonalds)
So, the people that are in charge of the MONEY wouldnt care if they were given BLANK DISKS! their JOB is to make as much money with the CRAP they are given! They don't even realize WHY it is easier to sell movies like Million-Dollar-Baby and harder to sell Stealth or Riddick.
As far as they are concerned, there should be ONE sure-fire way to make 150 million dollars with EVERY DVD they sell.
Yep. Uh-huh.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: It isnt about crap
a bad investment.
If the people with money decide to bankroll
a movie that is crap and it's a bomb at the
box office, then they don't make money.
It is about crap. Sure, they don't care if
it's crap or not but the consumers do.
The reason for poor sales is this, the
product stinks. Not because of pirates.
Sure pirates cut into sales but that is
a minor factor.
No one will buy a DVD for 150 million
dollars. Reduction to an absurdity is
not a compelling argument.
[ link to this | view in thread ]