Microsoft zapping Sony DRM 'rootkit'

[riccbhard]

Microsoft Corp. will start deleting the rootkit component of the controversial DRM scheme used by Sony BMG Music Entertainment.

 

 

The software giant's Windows AntiSpyware application will be updated to add a detection and removal signature for the rootkit features used in the XCP digital rights management technology.

 

According to Jason Garms, group product manager in Microsoft's Anti-Malware Technology Team, the rootkit removal signature will be pushed out at Windows users through the anti-spyware application's weekly signature update process.

 

Detection and removal of the XCP rootkit will also appear in Windows Defender, the next version of Windows AntiSpyware when that makeover ships

 

 

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1886122,00.asp

 

and more about this: http://www.postchronicle.com/news/technolo...e_2121240.shtml

 

and: http://news.com.com/FAQ+Sonys+rootkit+CDs/..._3-5946760.html

Edited November 13, 2005 by riccbhard

[riccbhard]

I had a feeling this might get moved. I was confused as to put it here or where it was.

[Exkabewbikadid]

How shall I put this... Sony got Owny'd.

 

Seriously, they crossed the DRM-tolerance line with that one.

[YeTi]

I read something about this on the BBC web site. Sony did get owned but it wasn't their fault if the microsoft programmer studied and published his findings on the web. It's likely it would have gone unknown for months about the trick of being able to abuse the technology and hide in it.

 

BBC Article

[Wolf68k]

How shall I put this... Sony got Owny'd.

 

Seriously, they crossed the DRM-tolerance line with that one.

You know your big major brand company F'ed up security when Microsoft of all people are putting out a protection for the users to use.

Now the we'll have to see how effective it really is.

[Exkabewbikadid]

Edit - I just now saw the other topic. My bad.

Edited November 14, 2005 by Xcommunicated

[EmSixTeen]

I read something about this on the BBC web site. Sony did get owned but it wasn't their fault if the microsoft programmer studied and published his findings on the web. It's likely it would have gone unknown for months about the trick of being able to abuse the technology and hide in it.

 

BBC Article

Are you f*cking stupid? They only got 'owned' because someone found out about their underhand tactics? Aye, and I'm the Queen of Sheeba.

[Bond996]

Yay, MS is breaking the DMCA.

 

Seriously, I'd love to see this get tried because of that. Along with Sony's GPL violation.

[PresidentKiller]

And the Bush Administration speaks up...

 

 

Bush Administration to Sony: It's your intellectual property -- it's not your computer.

By Richard Menta 11/12/05

 

Sony knew they were dead in the water when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) admonished them on the CD rootkit scandal - at a Chamber of Commerce event on combating intellectual-property theft. According to Briand Krebs of the Washington Post the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for policy, Stewart Baker, made at the event "a remark clearly aimed directly at Sony and other labels":

 

"It's very important to remember that it's your intellectual property -- it's not your computer. And in the pursuit of protection of intellectual property, it's important not to defeat or undermine the security measures that people need to adopt in these days.

 

 

The Recording Industry Association of America's CEO Mitch Bainwol was in attendance and you knew that these words had to run a shiver down his spine. He is spending quite a bit of time on the beltway these days pushing several new bills to give Hollywood control of how consumers use future electronic products. But, it is hard to call certain activities illegal when one of your members spreads what security pundits called malicious code to millions of home computers. It just undermines his argument, especially when a senior Bush official looks him straight in the eye and says he agrees with the pundits.

 

Bainwol has another big worry. The controversy from the Sony scandal has the potential to go beyond Sony by tainting the CD format itself in the eyes of consumers. This could kill the format, though it is not clear yet what effect, if any, this will have on record sales. The word-of-mouth building on the Net looks ominous right now. The industry is now looking to lay low and hope this passes.

 

That's why Sony backed down yesterday and declared that they would remove this particular DRM from all of their products...temporarily. Sony and the industry as a whole are in damage control mode. So far they have not done a very good job as recent comments by senior Sony exec Thomas Hesse only inflamed animosity on the blogosphere. Sony is also unapologetic about their tactic, which in itself is playing very badly in the press.

 

One thing is for sure, the industry will not give up on installing DRM tools on their wares. In the end, as more artists continue to use file sharing as a promotional tool, DRM may just become a costly solution looking for a problem.

 

Source: http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/5002/admonish.html