p2pnet - rss feed: Sony DRM goes on MS spyware list
p2p news / p2pnet: In a further development of the Sony BMG DRM farce, Bill and the Boyz say it can be hazardous to your computer’s health. So they’re adding it to the December Malicious Software Removal Tool update for detection and removal.
” I’ve been getting a lot of questions in the last week about Microsoft’s position on the Sony DRM and rootkit discussions, so I thought I’d share a little info on what we’re doing here,” blogs Jason Garms, architect and group product manager for Microsoft’s anti-malware tech team.
Sony BMG included First 4 Internet’s DRMS (Digital Restrictions Management Spyware) on some music CDs and didn’t trouble to tell users the software would be planted on their machines when they played the music.
This won’t do corporate would-be ‘p2p’ applications iMesh or Mashboxx any good, either. Senior Sony executive Andy Lack is a leading light behind Mashboxx, and ex-Sony Music boss Robert Summer runs iMesh.
“We are concerned about any malware and its impact on our customers’ machines,” Garms goes on. “Rootkits have a clearly negative impact on not only the security, but also the reliability and performance of their systems.
“We use a set of objective criteria for both Windows Defender and the Malicious Software Removal Tool to determine what software will be classified for detection and removal by our anti-malware technology. We have analyzed this software, and have determined that in order to help protect our customers we will add a detection and removal signature for the rootkit component of the XCP software to the Windows AntiSpyware beta, which is currently used by millions of users.
“This signature will be available to current beta users through the normal Windows AntiSpyware beta signature update process, which has been providing weekly signature updates for almost a year now. Detection and removal of this rootkit component will also appear in Windows Defender when its first public beta is available.
“We also plan to include this signature in the December monthly update to the Malicious Software Removal Tool. It will also be included in the signature set for the online scanner on Windows Live Safety Center.
“I’ll update you if any more information comes up.
“best,
“-jasong”
However, this is only the latest in a long list of Sony BMG wrongs.
A member of the entertainment cartels, it was caught red-handed and fined more than $1 million for using a fake movie critic to rave review its releases. The state of New York ordered it to stop bribing radio stations for air time and along with other Organized Music gang members, it was told to pay millions of dollars in artist royalty payments it had somehow forgotten.
Sony is also at the top of the list in complaining about counterfeiters, known as ‘pirates’. And yet it develops, makes and markets handy, easily concealed mini-camcorders of the type the cartels say are used to record flics to be posted on the p2p networks. It also develops, makes and markets handy CD and DVD burners, and associated equipment.
Stay tuned.
November 13th, 2005 at 6:27 pm
I think its good that Sony’s crap goes onto spyware lists… but…
The fact that Microsoft is putting it there… is kind of silly…
Microsoft is in direct competition with Sony in the console wars… and I’m betting they will go out of their way to give the public every kind of bad image of Sony… Dont support either, go to Nintendo! XD They Rule!
BTW, if Microsoft would have thought about this first… they would be the ones everyone is so mad at! XD An evil DRM like this, or EULA, is just like things MS has done in the past… And they’ll probably install a backdoor on you someday too! XD
November 13th, 2005 at 7:54 pm
The spyware that Sony installs on the computers of music fans does not even seem to be correct in terms of copyright law.
It turns out that the rootkit contains pieces of code that are identical to LAME, an open source mp3-encoder, and thereby breach the license.
http://dewinter.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=215.
November 13th, 2005 at 8:46 pm
They did, it was called COM+
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Not a COWARD, just cant be arsed to register. Who know where my details might end up………
November 14th, 2005 at 6:51 am
They’re just gonna remove it??? You know i’m surprised MS isn’t unleashing their lawyers on sony, really surprised. Not because it’s spyware or a rootkit, but simply because it TAMPERS with windows. It alters the way windows does things.
So is MS giving every programmer out there in the world carte blanche to just do whatever they feel like with windows except create a competing OS? Tamper with it, break it, they apparently don’t give a damn!
Then again maybe once vista is out everyone will find their precious drm systems fall flat on their arses and they’re suddenly forbidden to create their own new ones having instead to rely solely on the drm included with vista, which they’d probly have to pay for acess too. That sounds more like MS at work.
February 1st, 2006 at 2:14 pm
Play Sony/BMG music on a Playstation 2? That’s what they wanted all along-to scare us away from Microsoft, and Bill Gates fights back by declaring Sony(rightfully) as a spyware vendor. Bill Gates has done the same thing many times, but it’s not spyware, it’s part of windows. All giant multi-billion dollor companies are corrupt. Let them fight but ps2 owns xbox and at least this generation of Nintendo, at least Sony can’t meaningfully bug my ps2 and I never seen that EULA, so I’m happy for now. No rootkit! I hope Sony games for pc don’t have this although I guess it’s been removed from all copies that did have if games were ever an issue. This story blew me away though, I always thought Bill Gates had more ability to do this and good antispyware agents like Hijack This! and good removal tools would reveal the rest. This is one of my first visits here and I like the articles. Keep exposing evil big brother corporations!