Buy a CD, get a rootkit as a bonus?
Nov 1, 2005 | 9:52 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Canada (formerly New Zealand)
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Buy a CD, get a rootkit as a bonus?
http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/200...al-rights.html
Seems Sony *might* be installing root kits on people's computers if they buy CDs that have their own media player on the CD.
Keep that auto-play turned off on your CD drives, everyone!
Seems Sony *might* be installing root kits on people's computers if they buy CDs that have their own media player on the CD.
Keep that auto-play turned off on your CD drives, everyone!
Nov 1, 2005 | 11:06 pm
#2
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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And speaking of Rootkits, for those that know what they are... Rootkits : Subverting the Windows Kernel is a must read.
Nov 1, 2005 | 11:22 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Canada (formerly New Zealand)
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More on the matter: http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=919
http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archi...ve-112005.html
http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archi...ve-112005.html
Last edited by DavidNZ; Nov 1, 2005 at 11:34 pm
Nov 2, 2005 | 9:06 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 2001
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I experienced this issue first hand a couple weeks back when I put the latest switchfoot CD in and wasn't paying attention (blindly clicking OK). It installed the Sony copy protection software. It took me close to 2 hours to get my machine back to normal. Boy was I hot after that... 
Nov 2, 2005 | 2:15 pm
#6
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Heh, I saw a bunch of unreadable software on the latest Switchfoot CD myself! Of course it wasn't any bother to me, since the rootkit does not affect my Mac PowerBook whatsoever! Great tunes on that CD BTW! 
Nov 2, 2005 | 2:28 pm
#7
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Originally Posted by Arthurrs
Heh, I saw a bunch of unreadable software on the latest Switchfoot CD myself! Of course it wasn't any bother to me, since the rootkit does not affect my Mac PowerBook whatsoever! Great tunes on that CD BTW!
Nov 2, 2005 | 2:41 pm
#8
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Originally Posted by UAVirgin
Ya, ya, rub it in.
Just waiting for you to make that transition from the dark side to Macintosh! 
Nov 2, 2005 | 8:11 pm
#11
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Originally Posted by ScottC
Just because the box is white doesn't make it the "bright side"
Nov 3, 2005 | 11:39 am
#12
Join Date: Dec 2001
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Looks as if the bad press has given Sony second thoughts.. El Reg is reporting that Sony is having second thoughts.
There is a paragraph in the article that says that Sony hasn't had a single complaint about the problem. That isn't surprising since Sony's customer support is abysmal. It close to impossible to try and get a complaint through to them via web, email or phone.
Edited to add: Here a link to the software to remove this rootkit.
There is a paragraph in the article that says that Sony hasn't had a single complaint about the problem. That isn't surprising since Sony's customer support is abysmal. It close to impossible to try and get a complaint through to them via web, email or phone.
Edited to add: Here a link to the software to remove this rootkit.
Last edited by UAVirgin; Nov 3, 2005 at 12:04 pm
Nov 3, 2005 | 3:15 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2001
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For those that care about this issue, my post #12 is not totally accurate. The link is for software to unhide the rootkit. If you want to delete the rootkit entirely you must go to the Sony BMG problem reporting form, fill out the form and then wait for an email. By following the email instructions you will eventually get a link to a web site that uses an activeX control to remove the rootkit. All-in-all pretty cumbersome and but it does appear to work.
Nov 3, 2005 | 6:27 pm
#14
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Originally Posted by DavidNZ
http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/200...al-rights.html
Seems Sony *might* be installing root kits on people's computers if they buy CDs that have their own media player on the CD.
Keep that auto-play turned off on your CD drives, everyone!
Seems Sony *might* be installing root kits on people's computers if they buy CDs that have their own media player on the CD.
Keep that auto-play turned off on your CD drives, everyone!
Nov 3, 2005 | 7:50 pm
#15
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Originally Posted by BeCarlson
Well, this news makes me even more happy with my recent switch to the Macintosh platform. The "rootkit" will have no effect on my Powerbook.