| Author | Topic |
|---|
I Supported Toymods
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
December 2002
|
|
Sony installs rootkits on your pc!
|
Sat, 05 November 2005 10:11
|
 |
| from wikipedia |
There are reports as of November 1, 2005 that Sony is using a form of copy protection, or digital rights management, on its CDs called "XCP-Aurora" (a version of Extended Copy Protection from First 4 Internet) which constitutes a root kit, surreptitiously installing itself in a cloaked manner on the user's computer and resisting attempts to detect, disable, or remove it. Much speculation is taking place on blogs and elsewhere about whether Sony might be civilly or criminally liable for such actions under various anti-computer-hacking and anti-malware legislation. Ironically, there is also speculation to the effect that the bloggers who point out what Sony CDs do, with technical details, may also be committing a civil or criminal offense under anti-circumvention provisions of laws such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in the United States. [1] [2]
On November 2, 2005 Sony released a patch to remove this rootkit, while continuing to maintain that it is not malicious and does not pose a security risk. To activate this patch, you are required to go to their Web site with Microsoft Internet Explorer; users of other browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox, get a message to the effect that their browser is incompatible, because of the use of ActiveX controls which Mozilla omits. [3] It now turns out this software might be doing more than merely removing the harmful rootkit. The update is more than 3.5 megabytes in size, and it appears to contain new versions of almost all the files included in the initial installation of the entire DRM system, as well as creating some new files. In short, they’re not just taking away the rootkit-like function — they’re almost certainly adding things to the system as well. And once again, they’re not disclosing what they’re doing.[4]
Informed opinions differ on the security implication of this Sony 'XCP-Aurora' technology as there is evidence that the software has caused Blue Screen (BSOD) errors on Windows systems while in normal use. In addition the software is poorly implemented and the file hiding scheme could be used to hide arbitrary files on a PC simply by prefixing the filename with $sys$.
Further commentary including security implications can also be found on the Security Now! podcast #12 with Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte (titled "Sony's "Rootkit Technology" DRM (copy protection gone bad) at [5].
|
Articles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootkit
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27349
http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-root kits-and-digital-rights.html
http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/
The programmers of the copy protection scheme admit they "are very new to programming drivers" here:
http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:hDmbqX5yahgJ:w ww.osronline.com/showThread.cfm
A post on the systernals blog points out that these cd's are in violation of Australia's Cybercrime act:
| Quote: |
In Australia, this software contravenes the Cybercrime Act, and does it with intent (=jail time up to 10 years).
EULA's do not trump laws. You cannot contract murder, and you cannot contract your way around laws designed to prevent secret, unauthorized intrusion and modification of a system.
There are at least three sections of the Australian Cybercrime act this software contravenes.
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ ca2001112/sch1.html
Section 477.2 is quite explicit:
"477.2 Unauthorised modification of data to cause impairment
(1) A person is guilty of an offence if:
(a) the person causes any unauthorised modification of data held in a computer; and
(b) the person knows the modification is unauthorised; and
(c) the person is reckless as to whether the modification impairs or will impair:
(i) access to that or any other data held in any computer; or
(ii) the reliability, security or operation, of any such data; "
If Sony BMG sell their CDs in Australia with this malware automatically raping PCs, it's only a matter of time before someone rings the Australian Federal Police and sees if criminal charges can be laid.
|
[Updated on: Sat, 05 November 2005 10:13]
|
|
|
Location:
Kita-Ku, Sapporo, Japan
Registered:
January 2003
|
|
Re: Sony installs rootkits on your pc!
|
Sat, 05 November 2005 10:37
|
|
are they trying to actively discourage people from buying their CD's?
thats one heck of a marketing tool 
|
|
|
Location:
sydney
Registered:
August 2003
|
|
Re: Sony installs rootkits on your pc!
|
Sat, 05 November 2005 10:38
|
|
hmm all the more reason to download MP3s 
hopefully someone will actually go to jail for this
..but somehow i doubt it
|
|
|
Location:
new castle
Registered:
July 2005
|
|
Re: Sony installs rootkits on your pc!
|
Sat, 05 November 2005 10:44
|
|
*mr burns voice* "get the lawyers"
*many lawyers rush down stairs/pole and onto fire truck sequence*
|
|
|
