Boycott Sony

[Kuciwalker]

Any stupid hacker can write a file called $sys$whatever and infect computers which played the sony cd's.

A stupid hacker did.

[SlowwHand]

Going to try this, for grins.
Small zip, so I'll ul.
Can check site and get if rather. If I disappear, blow it off.

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/RootkitRevealer.html

Edit: The attachment is deleted due to possible licensing problems. Polytubbies who wish to use the program please go to Sysinternal's website.

[SlowwHand]

2688 discrepancies found. Thats all it says. Guess it took care of them. Whatever them are.

I'll run it again.


Edit. II
Not bad. Not hard to scan for a file that stands out.
I had none.

[SlowwHand]

November 09, 2005
Are You Infected with Sony-BMG's Rootkit?

EFF Confirms Secret Software on 19 CDs

San Francisco - News that some Sony-BMG music CDs install secret rootkit software on their owners' computers has shocked and angered thousands of music fans in recent days. Among the cause for concern is Sony's refusal to publicly list which CDs contain the infectious software and to provide a way for music fans to remove it. Now, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has confirmed that the stealth program is deployed on at least 19 CDs in a variety of genres.

The software, created by First 4 Internet and known as XCP2, ostensibly "protects" the music from illegal copying. But in fact, it blocks a number of legal uses--like listening to songs on your iPod. The software also reportedly slows down your computer and makes it more susceptible to crashes and third-party attacks. And since the program is designed to hide itself, users may have trouble diagnosing the problem.

"Entertainment companies often complain that fans refuse to respect their intellectual property rights. Yet tools like this refuse to respect our own personal property rights," said EFF staff attorney Jason Schultz. "Sony's tactics here are hypocritical, in addition to being a security threat."

If you have listened to a CD with the XCP software on your Windows PC, your computer is likely already infected. An EFF investigation confirmed XCP software on the following titles:

Trey Anastasio, Shine (Columbia)

Celine Dion, On ne Change Pas (Epic)

Neil Diamond, 12 Songs (Columbia)

Our Lady Peace, Healthy in Paranoid Times (Columbia)

Chris Botti, To Love Again (Columbia)

Van Zant, Get Right with the Man (Columbia)

Switchfoot, Nothing is Sound (Columbia)

The Coral, The Invisible Invasion (Columbia)

Acceptance, Phantoms (Columbia)

Susie Suh, Susie Suh (Epic)

Amerie, Touch (Columbia)

Life of Agony, Broken Valley (Epic)

Horace Silver Quintet, Silver's Blue (Epic Legacy)

Gerry Mulligan, Jeru (Columbia Legacy)

Dexter Gordon, Manhattan Symphonie (Columbia Legacy)

The Bad Plus, Suspicious Activity (Columbia)

The Dead 60s, The Dead 60s (Epic)

Dion, The Essential Dion (Columbia Legacy)

Natasha Bedingfield, Unwritten (Epic)

Several other Sony-BMG CDs are protected with a different copy-protection technology, sourced from SunnComm, including:

My Morning Jacket, Z
Santana, All That I Am
Sarah McLachlan, Bloom Remix Album

This is not a complete list and Sony-BMG continues to refuse to make such a list available to consumers. Consumers can spot CDs with XCP by inspecting a CD closely, checking the left transparent spine on the front of the case for a label that says "CONTENT PROTECTED." The back of these CDs also mention XCP in fine print. You can find pictures of these and other telltale labeling at http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/Sony-BMG/.

"Music fans should protect themselves from this stealth attack on their computer system," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Fred von Lohmann.

For more tips on keeping your computer uninfected:

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004144.php

Contacts:

Corynne McSherry
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
corynne@eff.org

Jason Schultz
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
jason@eff.org
Posted at 02:51 PM

http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2005_11.php

[SlowwHand]

Playful found this. The outrage grows.

[The Mad Monk]

On Monday, October 31, alert users discovered that Sony BMG is using copy-protected CDs to surreptitiously install its digital rights management technology onto PCs. You don't have to be ripping the CD, either--just playing it from your CD-ROM drive triggers the installation.

A while back, after finding that turning off autorun on CDs in the control panel does not shut down automatic installation of programs on loading a CD (yeah, you heard me), I went on a search to find a way to actually shut it down. Because I'm paranoid that way.

Sir Penguin on CG suggested this:

Find the following entry in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ System\ CurrentControlSet\ Services\ CdRom

Click on it, find the AutoRun key, and set its value from 1 to 0.

It shut down everything nicely.

I don't know if it guarantees that nothing will be loaded without your say-so, but it's a step in the right direction.

[Barnabas]

playstation is owned by sony right?

[SlowwHand]

Yes, Playstation is.

Here's a download tool for removal.
Symantec Secuity Response. Removal Tool

*****************************************
Sony to Suspend Making Antipiracy CDs

By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer
Fri Nov 11, 7:46 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Stung by continuing criticism, the world's second-largest music label, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, promised Friday to temporarily suspend making music CDs with antipiracy technology that can leave computers vulnerable to hackers..
Sony Gives Up

[Odin]

The only thing I'll buy from sony are TVs and computer monitors.

Sony:

(cuoriously, my vendetta against Sony began when Squaresoft bolted Nintendo and started making thier Final Fantasy games for the Playstation. )

[SlowwHand]

Mitsubishi makes an excellent big screen. Panasonic is good.
I've seen the ethics displayed. How would you like to work for a company that Symantec had to write a special program to undo what your company had done?

[LDiCesare]

Did I read well:

Sony BMG Music Entertainment, promised Friday to temporarily suspend making music CDs with antipiracy technology that can leave computers vulnerable to hackers..

?
This reads "we'll *** you again later", doesn't it?

[alva]

Sony-topman Thomas Hesse: "Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?'"


Already marked as spyware btw:

http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/pest/pest.aspx?id=453096362

[Dinner]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Yes, Playstation is.

Here's a download tool for removal.
Symantec Secuity Response. Removal Tool

*****************************************
Sony to Suspend Making Antipiracy CDs

By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer
Fri Nov 11, 7:46 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Stung by continuing criticism, the world's second-largest music label, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, promised Friday to temporarily suspend making music CDs with antipiracy technology that can leave computers vulnerable to hackers..
Sony Gives Up

It says page not found.

[SlowwHand]

Go get that removal. It's unlikely anyone is affected since Sony was caught. You still need to check.
That first program I ran, looks for anything suspicious, not just Sony.

[SlowwHand]

I see that now. It was moved. Give me a minute.