[Wanderer]

For those who have not been following the news or forums go see Sectorgames general forum about Sony rootkits as this is sort of extention for it.

Good News
This one looks kinda interesting... and also quite amazing, MS is actually doing something usefull!

Bad News
I found Finnish article conserning other forms of copyprotection that Sony has implemented. It also send stuff back to internet... Found it, there is an English article about the subject. No uninstaller but otherwise the same story...

Again: Go Sony, Go!!

[Grey Wolf]

Just kill autorun.

[karajorma]

Not much point in sticking the CD in your computer if you're going to do that. The whole thing with this is that you HAD to install their rootkit in order to play their CDs on your PC.

[Grey Wolf]

Not quite.  From what I understand, the rootkit problem was that it installed through an autorun setup, and then it did what it was designed to do.  If you block autorun, the CD will work fine, just like it would in a normal CD player.

[Flipside]

Re-posted from Sectorgame...

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5943763.html

I think Sophos say it all....

"The Sony rootkit can be used to hide any files from the operating system, so we think the way that Sony has implemented this is somewhat flawed," said Graham Cluley, the senior technology consultant at Sophos. "The danger is that other malware (malicious hardware) may come along which exploits the Sony rootkit."

Due to what Cluley said is a lack of malicious intent on Sony's part, Sophos is not defining the rootkit itself as malicious software, preferring instead to refer to it as "ineptware."

[karajorma]

Not quite. From what I understand, the rootkit problem was that it installed through an autorun setup, and then it did what it was designed to do. If you block autorun, the CD will work fine, just like it would in a normal CD player.

From the BBC article

XCP only allows three copies of an album to be made and only allows the CD to be listened to on a computer via a proprietary media player. The hidden files are installed alongside the media player.

[Nix]

Way to go CA! 

LOOOOOL!!

http://pestpatrol.com/spywarecenter/pest.aspx?id=453096362

[Kosh]

Here's more bad news:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10053831/

Researchers says software removal scheme aggravates security hole

This just keeps getting better and better.

[karajorma]

The “XCP” copy-protection program was included on at least 20 CDs, including releases by [SNIP] Neil Diamond and Celine Dion.

Am I the only one starting to think that this might have been about something other than protecting Sony's IP?

[StratComm]

You mean taking advantage of people who can't work a computer?  Yeah, obviously

[vyper]

Clearly anyone who listens to Neil Diamond is a criminal mastermind.