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November 19, 2005

Sony Hates Their Customers

It appears that Sony has whupped it out, dragged it in the dirt, and stepped on it with their tasselled golf shoes.

Background can be found HERE and, if you want a technically-oriented discussion, HERE at SysInternals.

In brief, a "rootkit" can do anything it wants to and with your computer. If you've recently bought and played a Sony/BMG music cd on your computer, you've probably got the rootkit installed on your PC.

Here is how to test for it's presence on your system. Use Notepad to create a text file and save it in a known-to exist folder on your system. I used the file below, and saved it in My Documents. Save it with the name "$SYS$" (without the quotes). Then open My Documents. If you can't find the $SYS$ file, you've got the rootkit.

This is the $SYS$ root-kit test file. Save it with the filename "$SYS$" (without the quotes) in a known-to-exist folder, then use My Computer to see if you can find it. If you can't find it, you've been root-kitted by Sony, the miserable pukes!

Sony has, due to VERY unfavorable publicity, released an un-installer for this rootkit. It also appears that the un-installer does Bad Things to the security of your system. See the details HERE.

The impact of Sony BMG's now-withdrawn copy-protection scheme spread even farther Wednesday. A security company said it had spotted malicious Web sites ready to attack PCs left vulnerable after users tried to uninstall a rootkit Sony used to hide its digital rights management (DRM) software.
San Diego-based Websense said that it had found "a few" Web sites designed to attack computers by exploiting a leftover piece of Sony's ActiveX rootkit uninstaller.


Obviously, Sony is having a Bad Week. They deserve every bit of the kicking around they're going to get.

It's my belief that Sony as a corporation deserves a whacking great fine. The executive who OK'd this excresence deserves (but won't get) jail time.

The driving forces behind DRM (Digital Rights Management), mainly Microsoft, also deserves a whack or two on the behind for driving this kind of crap into the marketplace and right down our throats.


Posted by ward at November 19, 2005 11:30 AM

Comments

Sony must hate everyone and we hate Sony, but they do have some very fine products, Cat

Posted by: Catfish at November 23, 2005 10:21 AM