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Posted by Steve K. on 11/14/05 07:46
Rich wrote:
> Wednesday, November 2, 2005 · Last updated 8:23 p.m. PT
>
> Sony unit to distribute software patch
>
> By MATTHEW FORDAHL
> AP TECHNOLOGY WRITER
>
> SAN JOSE, Calif. -- After a chorus of criticism, Sony Corp.'s music
> division said Wednesday it is distributing a free software patch to
> reveal hidden files that automatically installed to hard drives when
> some of its music CDs were played on personal computers.
>
> The offending technology was designed to thwart music piracy.
>
> Sony BMG Music Entertainment and its partner, UK-based First 4
> Internet, said they decided to offer the patch as a precaution, not
> because of any security vulnerability, which some critics had alleged.
>
> "What we decided to do is take extra precautionary steps to allay any
> fears," said Mathew Gilliat-Smith, First 4 Internet's CEO. "There
> should be no concern here."
>
> The controversy started Monday after Windows expert Mark Russinovich
> posted a Web log report on how he found hidden files on his PC after
> playing a Van Zant CD. He also said it disabled his CD drive after he
> tried to manually remove it.
>
> Russinovich made the discovery while running a program he had written
> for uncovering file-cloaking "RootKits." In this case, the Sony
> program hid the antipiracy software from view. Similar technology also
> has been used by virus and worm writers to conceal their code.
>
> advertising
> A firestorm quickly erupted over what appeared to be an attempt by the
> music company to retain control over its intellectual property by
> secretly installing hidden software on the PCs of unsuspecting
> customers.
>
> Making matters worse, Sony did not disclose exactly what it was doing
> in its license agreement, Russinovich said. It only mentions that
> proprietary software to enable copy protection would be installed. The
> software affects only PCs running the Windows operating system.
>
> "The (license) makes no mention that it's going to install something
> that's going to be hidden from view, that will constantly consume CPU
> resources even if I'm not listening to music and it will have no
> uninstall capability," he said.
>
> Because the technology looks for a specific prefix in the filename, it
> also could be used by malware authors to mask their programs,
> Russinovich said. There's also the question of how a PC user is
> supposed to maintain a system that runs hidden programs.
>
> "If you've got software on your computer that you can't see, there's
> no way for you to manage it from a security point of view," he said.
> "You don't know if you need updates for it. You don't know if you
> should uninstall it because you don't know it's even there."
>
> Though there are no known problems with software, that could change
> and leave millions of unsuspecting PC users at risk of having their
> machines taken over by malware, said Ero Carrera, a researcher at
> F-Secure, a computer security firm.
>
> "The code of the application is not exactly well done," he said. "I
> would tend to believe there are people already working on finding
> exploits."
>
> The copy protection technology, which limits how many times a CD can
> be copied, was included on about 20 titles, including discs from The
> Bad Plus and Vivian Green, among others.
>
> Gilliat-Smith and Sony BMG spokesman John McKay said the technology
> had been on the market for about eight months and there had been no
> major complaints prior to Russinovich's blog post. Still, a newer,
> similar technology was in the process of rolling out before the latest
> controversy erupted.
>
> The patches that reveal the hidden files are being made available to
> antivirus companies as well as customers who visit the Sony BMG site.
> They do not remove the copy protection software, however.
>
> McKay said customers can request a program to safely uninstall
> everything by visiting the Sony BMG Web site at http://cp.sonybmg.com.
> That site, however, requires a form to be filled out and submitted.
>
> In a test of the form late Wednesday, an e-mail confirming receipt was
> quickly returned by Sony BMG customer service, but it included no
> instructions on how to remove the software. The message promised
> another reply "shortly."
>
> The process is unlike the vast majority of Windows software, which can
> be easily uninstalled - by the user, without permission - through the
> "Add or Remove Programs" tool in the operating system's control panel.
>
> The controversy highlights the need for rules as to what content
> providers can and can't install on PCs to protect their property, said
> Russinovich, who is co-founder and chief software architect at
> Winternals Software, which specializes in advanced systems software
> for Microsoft Windows.
>
> "We need to get some formality about what's legal, what's ethical and
> what's fair - and what level of disclosure there needs to be," he
> said. "It's fine for Sony to say we're not going to do that now. What
> kind of guarantee do we have they're not going to do it at a future
> date or that other companies are not going to do this?"
Sony Music = Dead Company Walking
Boycott these bastards!
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