WAY too f-ing far!

[draconis]

As a long-time programmer and general computer geek, I can understand the problems of protecting your work from piracy. I can easily see where the same problems exist for the music industry, with people making and distributing illegal copies of music.

Wanting to protect your source of income is a perfectly reasonable thing.

However, Sony has taken this idea to a new and abhorrent extreme -- audio CDs which, when played on a computer's optical drives instead of a simple CD player, installs a rootkit on that computer.

Note to self: Sony gets no more of my money.

Comments

Er?

[seferin.livejournal.com]

Dumb it down a notch... spyware?

Re: Er?

[jcbdragon.livejournal.com]

Here's a slightly less techno-speak version:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/03/sony_rootkit_drm/

Basically, it installs filters around your computer's CD drive. If you try to make more copies of their CD than they think you should (3, in this case), then this software will stop you.

Oh, and if you try to remove the filters, your CD drive no longer works. From what I understand, the only way to get it back is to completely re-install your operating system.

It also uses techniques that will allow the creation of folders and programs on your system that your antivirus and other security programs can't see, based purely on the first part of the *name* of the folder/program. So if anyone creates a folder/program using that same naming convention, your antivirus/security programs won't see *those*, either.

So let's say I'm an 3V1L h4x0r d00d who wants to infect your system. I write a virus that creates a program on your system using this naming structure, and I've got free reign on your system, and your protective software doesn't even know my stuff exists.

[irishkate.livejournal.com]

Yeap, when I heard this that was my reaction. I ain't buying any more of their CDs OR any hardware of theirs after that..

[jcbdragon.livejournal.com]

Nope.

Sony's also trying to get something started with providing downloadable movies. Gee, I wonder if I can trust them not to bundle something extra along with that? ::snorts::