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Security Watch: Sony CDs Make Your PC Play the Blues

What it does: As originally discovered by security researcher Mark Russinovich of Winternals Software, certain music CDs published by Sony BMG Entertainment contain DRM protection requiring that the user must install a proprietary music player in order to play the songs. The player contains a rootkit (click here for a definition) as part of an effort to conceal the DRM and prevent its removal.

The DRM software and the rootkit were written by a First 4 Internet of the UK. The rootkit conceals all access to files and registry entries prefixed with the string '$sys$' in order to hide itself, but this behavior could allow other malicious programmers to hide their own programs by using the same file naming scheme. First 4 Internet and Sony deny that the system presents a security problem.

For full story:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1882795,00.asp

Don

Microsoft fights back by adding the Sony root kit to the list of signatures in its AntiSpyware software purchased from Giant.

For full story:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1886122,00.asp

Under industry pressure, Sony BMG offers an exchange program for CDs with the 'content protection' software. Sony has also asked vendors to remove any unpurchased CDs with the software from store shelves.

See their press release:
http://blog.sonymusic.com/sonybmg/archives/111505.html

Don