Sony BMG DRM installs a root-kit

Post by **Fender** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:44 pm

http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/#00000691

Rootkit is technology that hides software from the user and security software. This kind of technology is normally used by malware authors that want their presence to remain undetected in the system as long as possible. DRM software is not malicious but it has other reasons for hiding from the user. DRM software restricts the user's ability to make copies of a record and for that reason uses technology that prevents removal and modification of the software.

Sony BMG is currently using a rootkit-based DRM system on some CD records sold in USA. As far as we know, this system has been in use since March 2005. We've made some test purchases for Sony BMG records from Amazon.com and can confirm that they contained this technology.

(continued in link)

Not sure if I fully agree with the term "rootkit" for this but...

More: http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/1 ... ights.html

Post by **Grudge** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:46 pm

That's one of the reasons I don't buy music (from big label artists) anymore.

Post by **Underpants?** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:58 pm

sounds like propaganda from the radical music-stealing left.
actually, I think intellectual and property rights need enforcement but, really this battle is no different than the satellite/cable descramblers of yesterday. The recording industry will have shit on their faces once technology expands beyond the state of tangible, fixed media and everyone uplinks to satellite-hosted personal shares via portable multimedia devices.

Post by **Foo** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:59 pm

...and everyone flys around in LASER BEAMING SPACE PODS WITH MEGA SHIELDS!!!

Sorry

Post by **Underpants?** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:00 pm

...wet-wired neural-implant multimedia devices.

Post by **Underpants?** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:00 pm

fook you?

Post by **Foo** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:01 pm

Come on man... FUCKING LASER BEAMS AND PET DOGS MADE OF PURE ENERGY AND ROBOT ABBA TOURS THE GALAXY!

Post by **Underpants?** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:03 pm

see my response above to the root-rummaging below. Also, the word is "response," not "responce," you fucking illegitimate illiterate brits.

Foo wrote:...and everyone flys around in LASER BEAMING SPACE PODS WITH MEGA SHIELDS!!!

Sorry

Post by **Foo** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:10 pm

I had you pinned as a high-class british porn collector

Post by **Fender** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:14 pm

ffs people. Don't derail this. These root kits can allow viruses and other malware to be undetectable to (regular) scanning software. This is pretty dangerous stuff, regardless of your opinion on downloading/ripping music.

Post by **plained** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:18 pm

THERES CAMERAS AND MIKES ON HOUSEFLYS IN ADDITION TO LAZER EYE OMA

Post by **AmIdYfReAk** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:20 pm

all the more reason to go to Linux..

and i am being serious btw.

Post by **plained** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:22 pm

i dont care about my info much

jus pay for it ffs im worthg it

Post by **Underpants?** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:25 pm

http://quake3world.com/forum/viewtopic. ... t=rootkits
yeah it's pretty serious stuff, and actually has been around for some time.
Amidgay==pencilneck or not?

Post by **Underpants?** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:27 pm

Foo wrote:I had you pinned as a high-class british porn collector

as for the british part I'm deeply offended as a person but as for "high-class porn collector.." has a nice ring, might add that to the business card.

Post by **Dr_Watson** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:35 pm

but does that suggest you're "high class" or just your pr0n collection?

Post by **Chupacabra** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:36 pm

I think it means high class person.

or maybe its both

Post by **Underpants?** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:40 pm

Dr_Watson wrote:but does that suggest you're "high class" or just your pr0n collection?

I was thinking along the lines of overall porn quality but you are quite adept, Dr. Whangdanglingdown, at pointing out the overall ambiguity of the title statement.

Post by **Nightshade** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 6:00 pm

Underpants? wrote:
Foo wrote:I had you pinned as a high-class british porn collector
as for the british part I'm deeply offended as a person but as for "high-class porn collector.." has a nice ring, might add that to the business card.

Sure, you can add it right next to "Analinguist".

Post by **Underpants?** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 8:47 pm

ho ho, you're just a tub of hairless hilarity today aren't you, shitgrape?

Post by **Iccy (temp)** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 11:50 pm

Fender wrote:ffs people. Don't derail this. These root kits can allow viruses and other malware to be undetectable to (regular) scanning software. This is pretty dangerous stuff, regardless of your opinion on downloading/ripping music.

Root kits dont allow viruses and malware to be undetected. You taking the wrong tact on this. Its simply installing DRM software at a level that the PC user cant in most cases fuck with. Symantec does this, firefox does this, this isnt new and its not opening a door for anything else unless its intential and i doubt sony is sneaking into our pc's and opening the door in purpose for malicious software.

If you wanna be angry, be angry they are simply installing something on your PC with out your permission that you cant uninstall. The pain in the ass about this software is that ones its at that deep of a level in the OS that it can lie to pretty much anything thats trying to remove it from the OS. You can simply run a rootkit revealer and boot a live CD of linux and remove it, but still, its the principal of it all.

I mention this cause if you go around saying rootkits install viruses real tech peeps will laugh at you, infact its the viruses that install the rootkit if anything. Not all rootkits are horrible world enders. Like i said, virus scanners, MS spyware and firefox off the top of my head do it, its all in what its purpose is.

Post by **Iccy (temp)** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 11:52 pm

AmIdYfReAk wrote:all the more reason to go to Linux..

and i am being serious btw.

Origins of root kits

The term "root kit" (also written as "rootkit") originally referred to a set of recompiled Unix tools such as "ps", "netstat", "w" and "passwd" that would carefully hide any trace of the cracker that those commands would normally display, thus allowing the crackers to maintain "root" on the system without the system administrator even seeing them.

Generally now the term is not restricted to Unix based operating systems, as tools that perform a similar set of tasks now exist for non-Unix operating systems such as Microsoft Windows (even though such operating systems may not have a "root" account).

Post by **+JuggerNaut+** » Wed Nov 02, 2005 12:00 am

copy/paste central

source

Post by **R00k** » Wed Nov 02, 2005 12:25 am

Great, way to drive off more customers guys. :icon14:

You know I was thinking about the whole DRM/RIAA/WAREZZORZZ issue a couple days ago and I realized something.

The RIAA has switched tacks on this right in the middle. They are making this an intellectual rights issue, and are saying that the grounds for prosecution of downloading music is because it is stealing intellectual property.

My question is - where were they 10 years ago, when I had to buy a Metallica CD 5 times? I don't remember any options saying that, since I had paid for the use of the intellectual property, that I could get a replacement CD for the cost of manufacturing the CD.

There were a lot of albums that I would buy, wear out, buy again, rinse and repeat, because CDs were damaged so easily.

Post by **Nightshade** » Wed Nov 02, 2005 12:31 am

Underpants? wrote:ho ho, you're just a tub of hairless hilarity today aren't you, shitgrape?

Need some novocaine for that nerve there, Bob?