Energizer Introduces USB Battery Charger With Bonus Rootkit Feature [Update]

from the keeps-going-and-going-and-going dept

Update: As lots of folks are pointing out in the comments, this appears to have been included by some third party or disgruntled employee or something, rather than Energizer itself. Energizer has recalled the products and is investigating. Apologies for suggesting that this may have been intentional on Energizer's part. The original post follows: Someone, who prefers to remain anonymous, alerts us to the news that Symantec has discovered that a USB battery charger from Energizer installs a dangerous rootkit after installing the required driver. You would think that legit companies would know better than to install a secret rootkit after the Sony rootkit fiasco from a few years back. This particular rootkit constantly listens for commands that could allow a computer to secretly execute files or even send computer files to a remote computer. Not exactly the kind of stuff you want installed on your computer. The Energizer Bunny might keep going and going and going, but there are some things it's not supposed to do...

Filed Under: rootkit, security, usb battery charger
Companies: energizer

Chinese Windows Users Accuse Microsoft Of Hacking Their Computers

from the a-successful-antipiracy-day,-huh? dept

Part of Microsoft's big antipiracy day festivities was to talk about how it was ramping up efforts to crack down on unauthorized copies of its software in China (again, despite the fact that unauthorized copies in China are part of what helped establish Microsoft software as the de facto standard there). The efforts in China include more use of what Microsoft likes to call "Windows Genuine Advantage" -- which is really a DRM system known mostly for falsely accusing legitimate buyers of being pirates. Approximately half a million legitimate buyers were accused of piracy, leading many to suggest that WGA is quite similar to a rootkit, making your computer not function properly, all in the name of stopping piracy.

Over in China, it appears that they're not at all happy about WGA. Last year, a student there sued Microsoft for privacy violations in sending info back to Redmond via WGA, and in response to Microsoft's "get tough on piracy" campaign, apparently a bunch of folks in China are publicly denouncing WGA as being an illegal intrusion on their computers. They're accusing the company of trying to control computers without permission and of "hacking" their systems. Microsoft's response, of course, would be that legitimate buyers have nothing to worry about -- even though that doesn't quite seem to be the case. Still, it's difficult to feel all that sympathetic for the complainers -- as they should have known what they were getting with Windows. If they don't like it, there are other options on the market.

Filed Under: china, hacking, rootkit, windows genuine advantage
Companies: microsoft

Will Spore DRM Become EA's Rootkit Moment?

from the increasing-parallels dept

With the news coming out that some purchasers of the video game Spore have filed a class action lawsuit against EA for its inclusion of SecuROM DRM, it's reaching the point where you have to wonder if this is becoming EA's "rootkit" moment. The parallels are there. Both involved an overly draconian form of DRM that severely limited how a "purchased" product could be used. Both involved hidden files installed on a computer -- and both resulted in massive backlash from consumers, and a very slow response from the company. And, of course, the rootkit resulted in class action lawsuits as well. At some point, perhaps, companies will start to realize that treating your customers as criminals is probably a bad idea.

Filed Under: backlash, class action lawsuit, drm, rootkit, spore

Sony BMG Hits Rootkit Providers With Lawsuit

from the misapportioned-blame dept

Sony BMG settled both the class-action lawsuit against it and with the FTC, after it distributed rootkits that opened up security holes on consumers' PCs in the copy protection it used on its CDs. Now the company's filed a suit of its own against Amergence, formerly known as SunnComm, and its MediaMax unit, which supplied one of the pieces of copy-protection software in question. The lawsuit alleges Amergence/SunnComm supplied Sony BMG with faulty software -- which, all things considered, seems true. But the bigger issue here is that Sony BMG is implying that none of this mess is its fault, when it's the one that felt the need to implement the DRM in the first place. As we've pointed out plenty of times, DRM doesn't stop piracy, it just annoys legitimate customers. The SunnComm and XCP copy-protection that Sony BMG implemented on its CDs didn't stop piracy, and it wouldn't have, even if it hadn't been "faulty", as the suit alleges. It created a huge PR mess for the company, and it's cost them a fair bit of money to clean things up. Getting $12 million from Amergence won't change the fact that deciding to put the DRM on its CDs was a bonehead move that never would have delivered any real benefits.

Filed Under: rootkit
Companies: sony bmg