INTERACT FORUM
More => Old Versions => Media Center 11 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: JimH on November 01, 2005, 04:56:31 pm
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Maybe this has been reported previously, but some of Sony / BMG's audio discs will install "special" software on your PC.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=598261
This is worth a read.
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It has been discussed at Hydrogen Audio too: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=38439
On XP the Tweak UI utility can be used for disabling the AutoPlay function: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
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This really sucks!!
If they were to spend a fraction of the time spent on DRM on making it easier for us to buy music legally, we'd all (incuding Sony) be so much further ahead.
For Shame....
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Thanks,
Great reading.
Something from the other end of the stick:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004106.php
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Another good article here:
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123362,00.asp
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Sony might not be the only one doing it :) ..going by what i read elsewhere
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From: http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/faq.html
What is the bit rate that the audio files I move to my computer are encoded in?
Windows Media Audio (WMA): 128 kbps
ATRAC3: 132 kbps
I'd like to have lossless files instead. Should I contact Sony/BMG with the provided form?
http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/form1.html (http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/form1.html). :P
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Why not ? :)
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This is why I no longer envy the young. DRM, WMD, VD, you name it. As best as I can tell, the youth of today are paying the tab for my fun.
I read the article cited by hydrogen, and it appears, XP64 is immune to the patching/hooking that the sony DRM employs.
Quoting Alex B:
What is the bit rate that the audio files I move to my computer are encoded in?
Windows Media Audio (WMA): 128 kbps
ATRAC3: 132 kbps
--Does this mean that the CDs Sony is printing and selling now are 128 kbps and not 1411 wav? If so, what would possibly be the reason for buying a CD, DRM aside?
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All they are doing is annoying the honest people.
Sony's music for the most part is available on the web, a few day's before or on the release date.
So there not annoying the people that upload it, they are annoying the people that want to by the CD, and do what they want with it, ie, Copying for the car, Ipod, work computer... etc.
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--Does this mean that the CDs Sony is printing and selling now are 128 kbps and not 1411 wav? If so, what would possibly be the reason for buying a CD, DRM aside?
The CDs have also the standard audio content, but Sony/BGM allows only the copyprotected low quality files to be used on Windows PCs and has tried to hide the CDA content.
The funny thing is that because the malware doesn't work on Mac computers the Mac users can access the standard CD Audio content without restrictions.
I guess the same is true for the Linux and other OS users too.
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All they are doing is annoying the honest people.
Sony's music for the most part is available on the web, a few day's before or on the release date.
So there not annoying the people that upload it, they are annoying the people that want to by the CD, and do what they want with it, ie, Copying for the car, Ipod, work computer... etc.
I really don't get this.
I have ripped Audio CDs for years. After the year 2000 or so I have used the original audio CDs only for transporting the contents from shops to my home PCs. My PCs are connected to hifi systems and my server is the main audio source. I can play all music I have ever bought through the home LAN in a lossless or a high quality lossy format.
Now the record companies are making my life difficult by changing the rules. It's really "nice" to be a paying customer.
In an ideal world, I could buy lossless music albums from Internet at the price of standard audio CDs. One album would contain the audio files in a lossless format without any DRM, a pdf booklet and a package of high quality album art image files. That would be a good next generation "music album" product. The record companies should understand what the customers' needs are.
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The CDs have also the standard audio content, but Sony/BGM allows only the copyprotected low quality files to be used on Windows PCs and has tried to hide the CDA content.
The funny thing is that because the malware doesn't work on Mac computers the Mac users can access the standard CD Audio content without restrictions.
I guess the same is true for the Linux and other OS users too.
There are rippers that will still buypas the crap and allow you to rip your cd's.
Saddly, MC is not one of those rippers.
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There are rippers that will still buypas the crap and allow you to rip your cd's.
It is easily possible, but I don't think it is legally allowed if the content is DRM protected (this may vary from country to country). That I meant by the changed rules.
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You're correct, Alex.
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it's ridiculous.
as they up the ante, the pirates gain more self-gratitude demonstrating their leet skillz at bypassing the protection.
I recently purchased the X&Y cd from coldplay, and for some obscure reason, neither of my TDK drives could rip the tracks. I found it easier to locate lossless copies on the internet than jump through hoops trying to get it done here.
I was, and still am, cheesed off about that to say the least.
ijag's reply above (#9) is absolutely right on the bullseye as far as I'm concerned. somebody, somewhere, in a corporate suit really doesn't have their finger on the pulse at all. Alex, you say you don't get it. He's saying the exact same as yourself. They've changed the rules and your life difficult, annoying the paying customer, but the whole exercise is pointless because the albums still get released into the pirate's realm regardless.
As for legally allowed, "home taping has been killing music" for as long as I've been buying it, and as far as i can tell, it's still going strong 25 years later. If we went out and bought it, we should be able to rip it to any format we desire. Wonder if there's any "Mac emulator" software out there? ;)
When all's said and done though, there's little our posturing in this thread is going to affect it. The whole affair just seems like such a sad waste of rescources on Sony's side of the fence.
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Alex, you say you don't get it. He's saying the exact same as yourself.
Actually, I meant just that. My wording was sloppy. I should have written: I really don't get this whole DRM thing...
I just hope that threads like this in the user forums all around the globe can have some influence. Hopefully many readers besides the few posters understand and spread the message.
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Actually, I meant just that. My wording was sloppy. I should have written: I really don't get this whole DRM thing...
Not like you at all :) I did think it might have been that, read it a couple of times but couldn't decide which way you were going. no offense meant.
I just hope that threads like this in the user forums all around the globe can have some influence. Hopefully many readers besides the few posters understand and spread the message.
Amen to that.
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The new BMG protection is really annoying as well, If I want to put it on my computer it has to be wma, Oh and it says on the back
"This may not be compatible with iPods.." WHAT!!! Doesn't apple have like 85% of the handheld market? This really is getting out of hand.
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The sad truth is that the kids of today will likely just treat it as a "cool feature". "Hey man, check out this neat free player that came with this CD, wow, look at that, it even lets me make a copy" and by the time they all wake up, if they ever do, it'll be way too late. We are peddled a strong stereotype of the "net savvy" teenager, but my experience is that the majority of them are incredibly naiive and impressionable while sat at their pc's laughing at BonziBuddy's latest joke!!!!
the ipod thing might jolt a few of them mind you!!
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No, I don't think they will see it as a neat feature.... I think it will drive more people to find creative ways of obtaining the music without the disc.
Why would any company want to exclude the iPod.... That is just STUPID.
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Quoting Alex B:
"I just hope that threads like this in the user forums all around the globe can have some influence."
Not unless you tear it up and smoke it, then maybe it will have some influence. Look at all the time and money Bill Gates has spent developing the "secure media path" in Windows Vista, when not a single customer requested it.
The record companies have the right to do what they want with their property, but I think they're the ones smoking the threads, or rope. Piracy is widespread, and yet CD sales are down only 10%? How many people my age are listening to Brittany Spears, or buying yet another copy of the White Album, once they've (legally) digitized their CD? That CD sales are as strong as they are, given an aging market and some really terrible new music, seems to prove that piracy isn't cannibalizing sales.
But that's not the point, of course. The point is that there are people out there getting something for nothing, most of whom would otherwise not get anything for nothing--they're not the RIAA's customers.
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http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/ptech/10/04/music.copy.reut/index.html
Here is a interesting CNN link from 10/4
Seems like some artists are telling fans how to buypass the DRM..... Funny.
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by email..
someone needs to fill out this form and post the reply...
http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/form10.html
:)
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Personally, I'd just return it to where I bought it. Let the retailers tell them that DRM isn't a great idea.
If I wanted something that has this system on it I'd don my black eye patch and get it in a useable format...
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[...]I recently purchased the X&Y cd from coldplay
No offense, but as long as people continue to purchase (and not return) these CDs, it seems a bit hypocritical and unproductive to complain about the record companies' anti-consumer practices.
I respectfully urge everyone to boycott CD purchases (except from independent labels) until the labels reform their ways. As long as we keep giving them money, nothing's going to change for the better.
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Without admitting defeat (or that they did anything wrong), of course... Sony has backed down somewhat by issuing an uninstaller which disables the Rootkit (http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/updates.html) in response to the criticism. It does not appear to actually uninstall the DRM software, and probably does not disable the extra filters it adds into the CD-Rom driver chain, but it appears to claim to remove the "cloaking" (the hiding of the "$sys$" files, folder, registry keys, and services).
It's still a stinking piece of crud to have it on your system. Anyone who doesn't turn off Autorun in the first few minutes with a fresh Windows install is just asking for trouble in my opinion (and not just because of this).
This kind of stuff makes me sick and angry about where we seem to be headed. For those of you who didn't see this rant (http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/analog-hole.ars), the MPAA is actually now in the business of writing legislation for copyright protection! (I forget, which constituents elected them?) This particular lobbyist-law they are pushing proports to be about closing the "A-Hole" (no, I'm not kidding, read the article). I think it's time to stop corporate business-model wellfare and let the open market work as it should. I think this is as much about the corruption of capitalism as anything else.
As someone said in the discussion thread...
I know few a-holes that could use some "plugging".....
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Sony is in a strange postion regarding music nowadays. This used to be the company that invented the Walkman. Then they bought lots of music and their music division has more clout than their engineering division. They hate the iPod btw.
It's this pulling from opposite directions that has resulted in the CD mentioned above.
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http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html
AnyDVD gets around this new Sony protection.
http://www.slysoft.com/en/
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The new BMG protection is really annoying as well, If I want to put it on my computer it has to be wma, Oh and it says on the back
"This may not be compatible with iPods.." WHAT!!! Doesn't apple have like 85% of the handheld market? This really is getting out of hand.
It works on a Mac though because it just ignores the data track. Since they have to be compatible with a regular CD player there will always be a way to get the content off.
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The circus continues:
http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/11/more-on-sony-dangerous-decloaking.html
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In one of my previous lives, I worked for a record company (don't shoot me, please). I was involved in the area of pre-recorded cassettes and 8-tracks (it was a while ago...). One of the things that astonished me was when I was told that 8-tracks were actually designed for a limited life of 100 plays. After that, the record company expected you to buy another copy if you wanted to continue to listen to the tunes.
Even before the days of ripping CDs and DRM, the record companies were trying to control the number of times you could listen to the musci you bought.
Food for thought....
This occurs with virtually every large corportation. The problem is the deception.
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I will never buy music that is DRM'd. At least if I buy a record or CD it WILL play on my home stereo. Not this 'play for sure' if it meets all of the above requirements. And if those requirements change? At least I know my CD player will still be able to play CD's. Computers are too complicated and with DRM, this makes online music a nightmare. I understand their perspective that they don't want to go back to the Napster days but when buying music online that does not sound as good as Cd's or records for that matter along with no liners and then on top of that only being able to play it where they tell you you can, is just plain insanity.
The record companies went to CD to boost sales. This is because it gave people freedom. Records could only be listened to at home(obviously) but eight track and tapes failed because of the quality. CD's boosted the industry because the quality was finally there along with the freedom. It seems like we are going backwards. This situation is the like that NIN song 'the hand that feeds'. The quality is going down(compressed music, no cool tangible product) and the freedom is obviously non existent unless you buy into their entire world and if you leave(monthly subscription, latest format/player software and physical), you are screwed. The only advantage is the diversity now available at your finger tips. However this does not out weigh at least I would think for most people the negatives. But maybe the younger generation is getting stupider and buying(no pun intended) into the online hype. "I trust SONY and Apple buceause their brand is way cool." ::). He11 the new Circuit City t.v. advertisements make me feel like a slave every time I am using my laptop like right now. :-[
Record companies need to offer online music with bit rate choices, more artwork, and even throw in music videos when you buy the DRM'd audio file. I can't believe Apple is trying to sell these now. Videos have only been made from a record companies perspective to promote the music itself.
My lord!!! Hopefully these guys will go bankrupt and a new set of RISK TAKING independents will desire to be the next major record company. Only in my dreams will this happen or at least in my lifetime. Oh what it would have been to be living in the 40's 50's & 60's. We need record companies (not media conglomerates) that actually care about the music and not about getting customers into their world so that they buy the rest of their de-valued widgets!!!
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It's been reported that Sony will no longer ship CD's with this form of "protection".
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I just ran into my first CD (By BMG) that has this crap on it. I"m going to try to take it back, although I'm not sure Best Buy will take it back once opened.
This sucks big time.
[EDIT]
I took it back to Best Buy. They would not refund my money. While I was not surprised, it still made me mad. He said "Sorry, we can't take it back because it's been opened". It's ironic. I understand the reasoning, but I was bringing it back because I couldn't copy it. They wouldn't refund my money because they were afraid I copied it. :o
I picked it up, smacked it down on the counter and said "Keep it. And, I won't be back here again to spend any of my money". They said "We can't keep it, it's yoru property, sir." They were polite. I said, "It's worthless to me" and I walked out.
I had immediatedly decided to spend the cost of teh CD to make the point with them.
All that said and done, I know it won't make a bit of difference, and someone there will have a free CD.
Oh well.
On to boycotting the companies that put those out, and the resellers that don't provide good service, such as Best Buy.
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I've been following this thread ever since Jim started it. Did I miss something or did it disappear for a few days? Either way, I'm glad the discussion has continued.
ewingr, my hat's off to you for making an emphatic point. I may have opted to contact Sony for a refund or make a fuss with Best Buy corporate. I had my own bad experience with Best Buy a few years ago and have spent very little money there since. I am curious, did the CD indicate that it was Copy Protected on the outside? I thought if you don't accept the EULA, you are entitled to a refund. How do you read the EULA without opening the package?
If the record companies ever get the message that copy protected disks won't sell, they won't bother. However, I'm afraid that not enough consumers care about ripping music to their PC. It's great that this issue has made the press and that Sony has backed off...for now. I believe they already have an alternative copy protection that has been used, and they seem intent on finding a way to control how, where and when you listen to your music.
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It's been reported that Sony will no longer ship CD's with this form of "protection".
Might this have anything to do with the class action suit being filed against them in CA and soon NY ?
I wonder whether it now goes away as a result.
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I guess it is over for them. MS will remove it, Sony says it is 'temporarily' suspending the thing.
Sometimes when people put software on your system without notice, it backfires.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39236971,00.htm#zdpoll
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I may have opted to contact Sony for a refund or make a fuss with Best Buy corporate.
Would probably have been wiser. Like I said, I made an immediate decision. That translates into not thinking abou it :o
I did complain to BB via the survey web site. It'll be interesting to see if they even bother to reply.
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Microsoft to the rescue:
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+will+wipe+Sonys+rootkit/2100-1002_3-5949041.html?tag=nefd.pop
Dungeons and Dragons.
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I've been following this thread ever since Jim started it. Did I miss something or did it disappear for a few days? Either way, I'm glad the discussion has continued.
It was still here but had moved down to page 2.
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Sony has decided to recall the CD's involved and offer replacements.
From the NY Times:
A toll-free number and e-mail message inquiry system will also be set up on the Sony BMG Web site, sonybmg.com.
"We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause our customers," the company said in a letter that it said it would post on its Web site, "and are committed to making this situation right."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/technology/16sony.html
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More interesting news...
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/12691
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Interesting doesn't begin to describe it! Thanks for posting. Ed Felten below is a well known security expert from Princeton.
The site is:
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/
and this is the beginning of the article:
----------- from http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/ ----------
Earlier today Ed Felten and I reported a serious security hole opened by the uninstaller that Sony provides to users who want to remove the First4Internet copy protection software. Further testing has confirmed that computers remain vulnerable even after the uninstall process is complete.
Sony’s web-based uninstaller is a three step process:
You fill out an uninstall request on Sony’s web site.
Sony sends you an email with a link to a second request form. When you follow this link, Sony’s site automatically installs a piece of software–an ActiveX control created by First4Internet–called CodeSupport.
After delay, Sony sends another email with a link to a third web page that removes the copy protection software. However, the CodeSupport component remains on your computer indefinitely.
Due to a serious design flaw, the CodeSupport component allows any web site you visit to download and run software on your computer. A malicious web site author can write an evil program, package up that program appropriately, put the packaged code at some URL, and then write a web page that causes CodeSupport to download and run code from that URL. If you visit that web page with Internet Explorer, and you have previously performed at least step 2 of Sony’s uninstall process, then the evil program will be downloaded, installed, and run on your computer, immediately and automatically. Your goose will be cooked.
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Wow.... Am I ever glad, I do not let my CD drive run automatically....
Hey Jim, Is it illegal for a Ripping Program to bypass CD protection? I know it is for DVD's....
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You have to wonder about the astonishing stupidity (at least in a security sense if not a PR sense) of the programmers at First4Internet.
First, they write code that can be exploited maliciously. Then there's a stink about secret installs of hidden code on computers. So they write a fix that (a) not only creates a worse security situation but (b) leaves more junk on the computer!
First4Internet on resume = kiss of death.
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Those that have been following this stuff might find this page an interesting read (http://www.the-interweb.com/serendipity/).
Apparently, the First4Internet code has been discovered to contain LGPL'ed code from both LAME and the id3lib library, without complying with the requirements of the Limited GPL copyright license that both of those packages are distributed under. So, it appears that this "copy protection" software (as laughable as that might be) actually violates copyright law itself!
Apparently, Sony feels that their copyrights are more important than everyone else's.
Also, gamer, to answer your question, IANAL, but "officially" the DMCA should make it illegal to possess or sell a device who's primary purpose is to circumvent "copyright protection mechanisms". However, most of these provisions haven't been tested fully in the courts (and, of course, the DMCA only applies in the USA).
In fact, with this particular DRM package, depending on how widely you interpret the DMCA's wording, TweakUI (which can disable the Autoplay "feature" and defeat the DRM), any Linux computer, and any MacOS computer could all be considered "circumvention devices". In truth, it is exceedingly unlikely that anyone would be actually held liable for circumventing this particular batch of DRM.
This law (and those like it being enacted all across the world currently) is utterly obscene. It says essentially, even if what you intend to do with the tool is legal (and even if what you actually do is legal), the mere possession of the tool itself is illegal. And why? Because the Entertainment industry needs these draconian measures to protect itself from sophisticated Pirates. They tell us this DRM is their solution, for protection against the mean, nasty pirates. (Now, do any of us think the Pirates might use any circumvention device as exotic or sophisticated as a Mac? No, of course not.)
DRM is not and has never been about preventing piracy. It's mostly about controlling the distribution chain. (The other side benefit the RIAA (and MPAA and their ilk) are also lusting after is the ability to charge for time and place shifting.) The Record companies exist because when "recording" was invented, the equipment was expensive, so you needed them. Then, you could do the recording yourself, but how were you going to distribute your music world-wide... You need the Recording Company. But now there is P2P and the Internet, and people have high-speed network connections. The Recording companies are deathly afraid that their "employees" (the artists) will realize that they don't need them anymore. Why get a piddly royalty when you can make the whole shebang?
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More fun news today on this. Muzzy (http://www.the-interweb.com/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=343&entry_id=54) apparently discovered more stolen code in the F4I DRM software last night. This time the code in question is covered by the plain, vanilla GPL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gpl), rather than the LGPL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGPL). Check this blog (http://www.the-interweb.com/serendipity/) for more info.
As many of you know, the big difference between the GPL and the LGPL is that the GPL includes the "so-called" viral clause that forces all derivatives of GPL'ed code to also be released under the GPL. This means that using GPL code in a proprietaty product is far more serious, as it should require the proprietaty source code to be released. The LGPL allows you to link to a LGPL'ed library and still keep the rest of your code closed (though you're still not allowed to steal code and actually incorporate it into your source as they appear to have done, and you must include the LGPL'ed source code and license with your product).
The really funny part of this new revelation is the software in question. The GPL'ed code discovered was stolen from VLC (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/), and is actually "the function DoShuffle from a GPL-ed file called drms.c written by Jon Lech Johansen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Johansen) and Sam Hocevar". That piece of code was actually written to allow you to play legally purchased Apple DRM protected content (http://nanocrew.net/2004/06/10/dedrms-03/) (from the iTunes store) on applications other than Apple's iTunes (in this case VLC). In other words, it is a content-protection circumvention device that violates the DMCA and is one of the pieces of code that "DVD Jon" keeps getting sued over.
It is becomming plainly obvious that F4I was violating copyrights wholesale in their attempts to hack-together their junk code, which was (of course) designed to "protect copyright". The hypocrisy is pretty apparent.
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sometimes all you need is a link to make you feel a little better (http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2005-11-14-sony-cds_x.htm)
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True, but they still haven't issued a full uninstaller that doesn't seriously compromise your system. So you will eventually be able to swap-out the bad CD, but not get rid of the crud on your system...
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A post near the bottom of this thread over in the Thinkpad forum indicates that the XCP stuff can interfere with ripping non-copyrighted discs also! Anyone have a link on that info?
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=17119&highlight=
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I thought I'd mention that there is some interesting new info on Freedom to Tinker (http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/) now about Sony's other DRM software. This is not the XCP stuff from F4I that's been causing all the stink but the far more common "SunnComm MediaMax (http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~jhalderm/cd3/)"
softspyware.
From the article:
I wrote last weekend about SunnComm’s spyware-like behavior. Sony CDs protected with their technology automatically install several megabytes of files without any meaningful notice or consent, silently phone home every time you play a protected album, and fail to include any uninstall option.
Here’s the good news: As several readers have pointed out, SunnComm will provide a tool to uninstall their software if users pester them enough. Typically this requires at least two rounds of emails with the company’s support staff.
Now the bad news: It turns out that the web-based uninstaller SunnComm provides opens up a major security hole very similar to the one created by the web-based uninstaller for Sony’s other DRM, XCP, that we announced a few days ago. I have verified that it is possible for a malicious web site to use the SunnComm hole to take control of PCs where the uninstaller has been used. In fact, the the SunnComm problem is easier to exploit than the XCP uninstaller flaw.
It looks like even though Sony recalled the XCP discs, it's still not safe to buy or use any of the discs for your Windows computer. In case all of this hasn't taught you the lesson yet, you really should download TweakUI (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx) and disable AutoPlay on your optical drives right now (http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article03-018).
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A post near the bottom of this thread over in the Thinkpad forum indicates that the XCP stuff can interfere with ripping non-copyrighted discs also! Anyone have a link on that info?
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=17119&highlight=
Here's the information I mentioned, followed by a link to the CA webpage:
XCP.Sony.Rootkit installs a DRM executable as a Windows service, but misleadingly names this service "Plug and Play Device Manager", employing a technique commonly used by malware authors to fool everyday users into believing this is a part of Windows. Approximately every 1.5 seconds this service queries the primary executables associated with all processes running on the machine, resulting in nearly continuous read attempts on the hard drive. This has been shown to shorten the drive's lifespan.
Furthermore, XCP.Sony.Rootkit installs a device driver, specifically a CD-ROM filter driver, which intercepts calls to the CD-ROM drive. If any process other than the included Music Player (player.exe) attempts to read the audio section of the CD, the filter driver inserts seemingly random noise into the returned data making the music unlistenable.
XCP.Sony.Rootkit loads a system filter driver which intercepts all calls for process, directory or registry listings, even those unrelated to the Sony BMG application. This rootkit driver modifies what information is visible to the operating system in order to cloak the Sony BMG software. This is commonly referred to as rootkit technology. Furthermore, the rootkit does not only affect XCP.Sony.Rootkit's files. This rootkit hides every file, process, or registry key beginning with $sys$. This represents a vulnerability, which has already been exploited to hide World of Warcraft RING0 hacks as of the time of this writing, and could potentially hide an attacker's files and processes once access to an infected system had been gained.
Sony BMG has released a patch which removes the rootkit and eliminates the above vulnerability. The patch fails the eTrust PestPatrol scorecard in its own right and its security advisor page can be found here. After the patch is run this variant of the XCP.Sony.Rootkit program still violates the eTrust PestPatrol Scorecard. The Patched program XCP.Sony.SP2's encyclopedia page can be found here.
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/pest/pest.aspx?id=453096362
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Some more info:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/index.php?p=501&tag=nl.e589
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If anyone's interested, the EFF filed a class action suit today about this (http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2005_11.php#004192).
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hey if anyone wants to break the copy protection, it looks like a bit of tape will do the trick. All you gotta do is put a small piece of tape over the edge of the disc (where the second session with the copy protection is located), and insert in, and it rips ! Apparently.... i don't buy cds anymore. but anyways, here's one link (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27853) and here's the other (http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=136331). happy ripping!
o btw
Recently just for giggles I tried an install of SUSE 9.3. It would have been laughable, if I hadn't spent a week just trying to get 5 clean CD downloads. When I finally got the thing installed, I thought, "If this was 1995 this would be revolutionary". Not only did SUSE misdiagnose my monitors, graphics card and audio, it didn't offer me any apparent way to submit user-provided dirvers (I know there must be a way somehow, but in windows it's obvious). IMO, Linux isn't even the equal of IRIX, or the mac. Talk about fanboy-domininated PR.
i find that comment offensive and unneeded. i use ubuntu linux occasionally, and it was the easiest to install os ive ever dealt with. i literally had to do such intensive tasks as choosing my time, typing in my name, and typing in a password. yes, driver support isn't up to par, but then again, it does only have like 1 percent of the desktop market. and the reason that it is fanboy-dominated pr is prolly because it is created by the fanboys.
anyways, u should try out ubuntu if u want a good example of a linux os. one install cd, 30 minute install, minimal interaction until it is up and running. and it runs at least very well if not perfectly with all of my hardware.
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Back onto a somewhat relevant topic...
Many of you may have heard that TiVO announced they would be providing iPod and PSP video support to their Series 2 DVR's (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051121-5603.html). Well, unsuprisingly the Entertainment Industry ain't impressed (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051122-5614.html).
"TiVo appears to be acting unilaterally, disregarding established rights of content owners to participate in decisions regarding the distribution and exploitation of their content," an NBC Universal spokesman said. "This unilateral action creates the risk of legal conflict instead of contributing to the constructive exploitation of digital technology that can rapidly provide new and exciting experiences for the consumer."
Now, they want us to believe that me recording a TV show onto my DVR and then moving that file to my personal device somehow violates the "established rights of content owners". I'm sorry Mr. NBC Universal spokesman, the artificial copyright monopoly grants you the right to First Sale afterwhich I am allowed to do with it mostly as I please. Your powers are expressly limited to the power to control the copying and distribution of your content, not place or format shifting. This was not an accident, but was done on purpose by the framers of the Constitution.
I believe in fair, free markets. I, and TiVo, am under no obligation to support your business models. If you want to sell your service, while I can get the same content (through elbow grease) for free, you must add value to your service or fail. Not attack the competition.
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Ha! We seem to be moving towards "watchwrap" (google clickwrap if you're unfamiliar with the concept) license agreements, wherein the content provider grants you a limited license to view the content, one time, with no rights of recordation, etc., which you accept by the act of viewing the content. Sweet!
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Sony has agreed to settle the lawsuits:
"LOS ANGELES — Embattled music label Sony BMG Music Entertainment has agreed to settle consumer complaints about its controversial attempt to copy-protect CDs.
Under terms of a settlement consolidating several lawsuits, Sony will give consumers who purchased an estimated 10 million CDs a combination of cash, replacement music and free downloads.
"The CDs — from artists including Alicia Keys, Santana, Neil Diamond and Bette Midler — used software from companies First 4 Internet and SunnComm that limited the number of times a CD could be copied on a PC. The software also made the PCs susceptible to viruses and spyware programs. "
From:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-12-29-sony-settlement_x.htm
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Sounds nice on the surface, but it's a lousy deal, especially for those that had problems with their computers.
To participate, consumers must complete a claim form and send Sony the original CD with a receipt.
• Purchasers of the XCP discs are eligible for $7.50 cash and one free album download
So you'll lose about half the cash mailing the CD back IF you're lucky enough to still have the receipt.
Sony knows that very few will have their recepts, so this won't cost them very much.
Shame on Sony! Again....