Mark Russinovich, being the clever chap that he is, found a rootkit embedded in the Sony’s CD’s DRM protection. You can read the article here on Mark’s blog, and on The Register
Trying to remove this rootkit effectivly “kills” Windows, but I am sure that someone will come along with a fix.
I for one will never buy a Sony product again purely based upon this information. Companies that hide this kind of crap on your system should be hauled into court. I cannot believe that they are even getting away with it. I would strongly suggest that anyone else purchasing Sony products does the same… hit them where it hurts…. product sales.
Grrrr…. my blood boils….
So, today I got an email back from Sony saying….
Thank you for contacting Sony BMG Online.
Sony BMG and First 4 Internet have just released an update that will completely remove the rootkit based DRM content protection software and replace it with a non-rootkit DRM technology that is compatible with all current security protocols. To ensure the security of your system, please visit their software update website to obtain and install Service Pack 2 at:
http://updates.xcp-aurora.com
If after this update, you still wish to uninstall our software, please visit the form below using the computer where the software is currently installed and you will be emailed an uninstall link within 1 business day (M-F).
http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/form9.html
TIP: Our uninstall request form will require a small ActiveX plug-in
(from First 4 Internet). Be sure to also temporarily turn off any
pop-up blocker software. Although a non-ActiveX process is in
development, currently, our online process is the only option.
Should you prefer to wait for the next uninstallation version,
one is due to be released later this month at:
http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/updates.html
Thank you for the opportunity to be of assistance.
The Sony BMG Online Support Team
_______________
But you see…. the fact is, I still will not buy a Sony product again… they never should have installed a rootkit in the first place!
Mark has another post up on this issue – http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/11/more-on-sony-dangerous-decloaking.html
As for not buying Sony. Good plan.