Comments on: Sony’s Rootkit

By: Alex Gregory

Alex Gregory — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 10:55:18 +0000

Microsoft have now labelled the rootkit as spyware. More here:
http://blogs.technet.com/antimalware/archive/2005/11/12/414299.aspx

By: Dr Evil

Dr Evil — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 21:37:37 +0000

Most people don’t know what my secret invention is, so why should they care about it?

Hahahaha!

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 13:47:16 +0000

re mrjauk’s entry:
“Most people don’t even know what the inferior vena cava is, so why should they care about it.”

Is it a cheap bottle of Spanish sparkling wine?

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 13:44:29 +0000

“Most people don’t know what a weapon of mass destruction is so why should they care about it?”

Or is that already in the public domain?

By: Please Bumble

Please Bumble — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 11:42:26 +0000

So let’s see…I’m sitting in a nuclear power plant in NY and thinking “I sure would like to hear some nice music right about now”. I just happened to have picked up a brand new CD at Mal-Wart and it’s totaly awsome dude.

By: IT Bloke

IT Bloke — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 03:45:18 +0000

“Most people don’t even know what a myocardial infarction is, so why should they care about it?”

… and of course the obvious:

“Most people don’t even know what corporate malpractice is, so why should they care about it?”

“Most people don’t even know what caveat venditor is, so why should they care about it?”

Ah, I hope they throw the (red) book at SonyBMG (and F4I) for this crap. In recent years, the courts in both the US and EU have been making examples of corrupt corporations as a warning to others not to flout tax/accounting laws.

Now let’s hope they make an example of SonyBMG/F4I not to flout IT/technology laws too…

By: jw

jw — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 00:55:02 +0000

I think Sony shared Cranky’s views and the recording industry has often been right that in their view that customers don’t care about Digital Rights Removal techniques, but they’ve also been wrong, as the absence of DIVX players in today’s marketplace shows.

Currently, there are class action suits in California and New York and the Italian government looks like it’s going to intervene too. Virus researchers are analyzing malware that’s already using the Sony rootkit’s functionality for its own needs. Computer Associates’ spyware detector (PestPatrol) now detects it as Spyware.

By: Slocum

Slocum — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 00:13:10 +0000

What Cranky said.

And Sony may have some absolute morons, but they know that a large portion of the public, with money, are more moronic than they are, won’t care that their PC has been rooted and will continue to send Sony BMG money for CDs that root their box.

In this case, I don’t think so. Having their computers infected by malware is one thing that frustrates people greatly and to which broad stretches of the population are sensitive. Hearing that Sony is infecting their computers with the same technology that hackers use (and that may make it easier for other hackers to infect their computers) is something that I don’t think most people will ignore. But we’ll see.

By: Speedkill » Beware of music CDs bearing copy protection

Speedkill » Beware of music CDs bearing copy protection — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 21:48:15 +0000

[...] Just lovely, this is. [...]

By: Barak

Barak — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 18:29:09 +0000

This is not only going to hurt Sony in the music business, it’s going to hurt their brand in every market they’re in. These people are absolute morons. Truly mind-boggling stupidity.

What Cranky said.

Humans are not very good at rationally steering away from something that is very good in the short term but will fuck you in the long term. They usually need force or belief to not give in to temptation.

By: Cranky Observer

Cranky Observer — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 18:12:55 +0000

> How is it possible that the companies don’t
> anticipate the gigantic PR shitstorm that is
> absolutely inevitable when try to pull something
> like this? This is not only going to hurt Sony

Becuase the “gigantic PR shitstorms” go away in a few weeks. At worst they sign a consent decree promising not to do some insignificant portion of what they were doing, then go buy a law to reverse the consent decree. The MSM forgets within 2 weeks and they go right back to doing what was criticized so heavily – but no one pays attention.

Cranky

By: Keith

Keith — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:42:54 +0000

What does Sony stand to gain from planting dodgy software in its customers’ computers?

The opportunity to sell you patchcode at a rediculous markup.

By: yonray

yonray — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 16:07:44 +0000

That’s the potential downside, but what’s the upside? What does Sony stand to gain from planting dodgy software in its customers’ computers?

By: Slocum

Slocum — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:50:34 +0000

How is it possible that the companies don’t anticipate the gigantic PR shitstorm that is absolutely inevitable when try to pull something like this? This is not only going to hurt Sony in the music business, it’s going to hurt their brand in every market they’re in. These people are absolute morons. Truly mind-boggling stupidity.

By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:22:00 +0000

Sounds like just the sort of thing the UK’s 1990 Computer Misuse Act was written to prosecute:

computer material.

” 1.—(1) A person is guilty of an offence if—

(a) he causes a computer to perform any function with intent to secure access to any program or data held in any computer;

(b) the access he intends to secure is unauthorised; and

(2) The intent a person has to have to commit an offence under this section need not be directed at—

(a) any particular program or data;

(b) a program or data of any particular kind; or

(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to both.”

Unauthorised modificatio is also an offence, and jurisdiction is not limited to acts originating in the UK.