Screwed by Sony Music CDs

[RickJ]

Be careful what music you CD's you play on your computer or this can happen to you!!!

Sony, Rootkits and Digital Rights Management Gone Too Far

Update:
Here is a snippet from a Reuters article that indentifies the CD in question.

... The matter drew increased attention in technology circles October 31, when software developer/computer security expert Mark Russinovich began blogging the details of problems he experienced after using his computer to play the copy-protected CD of "Get Right With the Man" by Van Zant, a Southern rock act signed to Columbia Records.

[InCreator]

This is just a piece of global witch hunt that's way beyond any laws.
To reap more buck, companies cross all limits.

And this is just as unstoppable as piracy itself.

War goes on!

[Darth Mandarb]

I knew it was just a matter of time before this kind of thing started happening ...

They can't stop the piracy, so they'll start pulling shit like this.

[Ishmael]

It won't take long untill (if it's not already possible) that copyprotection is breached as easily as an unguarded fridge.

[Afflict]

Dude not Kewl!

No discaimer or anything, no agree / disagree button.

Btw has anybody purchased a game and not agree'd to terms and conditions and returned it?

[Paper Carnival]

^ no, but I disagreed with the conditions of different games/programs, then used showin to enable the "next" command button, giving me the ability to use software without following the terms of use. Wheee

[Afflict]

I wonder what would happen if I go back to the store and say "Hey I bought this here and I dont agree with the terms and conditions" most stores have a no refund thingy...

[Kweepa]

It won't take long untill (if it's not already possible) that copyprotection is breached as easily as an unguarded fridge.

The point is not that it's copy protected, but what the copy protection does to your computer. Read the article.

[edmundito]

I think this is related: http://news.com.com/Sony+to+patch+copy-protected+CD/2100-7355_3-5928608.html?tag=nefd.lede

[Janik]

And if you were to download the album you would not get this trouble. It's not a smart move to actually penalize paying customers. Plus, you can't put it in your MP3 player, etc.

Take for instance DVDs - first you have the unskippable (and pointless) FBI warning, and then often you get some ads in there too. Some even have unskippable ads (none of mine, thankfully)! Isn't paying for the product once enough? Why annoy your customers?

[Traveler]

For playing DVDs with that unskippable s**t, take a look at DVDIdle Pro. It also helps playing DVDs from other regions, if that's important to you (to me it is) without flashing the DVD drive itself. I've been using it qute some time and it's ok.

On the Sony thing, I just decided that I never ever buy anything from Sony again - this doesn't mean only me, but my company too, and I'll certainly tell this to all my friends.

[RickJ]

Well to dive the point home what if everyone and their friends dropped into a record store and shopped around for a Sony CD and at the checkout counter ask the clerk if the CD will screw up your computer.  When they say "No!" point out the copy protection logo and the fine print and thell them that you don't want to buy that kind of crap and leave.   Repeat the process as often as you like.  See how many of your friends you can talk into playing this kind of prank.   While you are shopping chat up other shoppers about CD's screwing their computers and asking them if they know which ones.   If nothing else it's good for a laugh.  Who knows if enough people do it they may get the point. 

[Ishmael]

It won't take long untill (if it's not already possible) that copyprotection is breached as easily as an unguarded fridge.

The point is not that it's copy protected, but what the copy protection does to your computer. Read the article.

I read it. And I know that's not the point, but as it stands, you must let this software to be installed onto your computer if you want to listen to the CD. But sooner or later the music can be played without this application and ripped, so this copy protection is rendered useless against the ones who know a bit about stuff, and remains to trouble people who're not that aware of things.

At any rate, what Rick said sounds like a plan...

[Las Naranjas]

In terms of warnings, I like the fact that on some DVDs, I need not watch only the Australian warning, but British, Norwegian, Swedish, Italian and French warnings, all unskippable, on a single disc.

[Barbarian]

Guess Sony's feeling some of the heat from this malware/spyware garbage they been forcing on users.
Just seen a news article that they are now "Issuing a Fix" for it...Ã,  :PÃ,  Ã, 
Click Here to read the News article.

Seen another news article related to this now over at BBC's news-site:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4400148.stm

Too little too late I say.Ã,  Though I liked some of Sony's products (PlayStation I & II for example, amoung some other good electronics), I think they stepped way over the line with this whole sneaky forced "rootkit" thingy they were installing unawares to users of their music products... it's very pathetic and low of them to do that, and I'd say they most likely broke at least a couple of laws doing that.

Reading some of the follow-up posts to that article that Rick posted a link to in the first message, some people there are now saying the new Sony rootkit removal tool doesn't actually work:  "...is merely a removal of the cloak. the patch actually reinfects your system."
"  and  "...you don't actually remove the software with this tool, only make it visible, and you are still infected up and down with DRM"..  Bah! 

[SSH]

On the other hand, if you want to cheat at WoW... http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27444

[auhsor]

I think its amusing seeing the situation Sony is in, but I can't help but feeling that they will get away with it all somehow. If you read here you can see how Sony blatantly lie about what their 'harmless' copy protection does. Read all the comments too, they get quite interesting and further provide proof of the case against sony.

Oh and something interesting I learned from reading the comments:
"Ohyea, another thing. This DRM system uses a blacklist to filter out what applications can and what can't read the CD. So, this doesn't protect the CD, but rather intends to break the listed software. To verify, use your hexeditor and you can locate the following list yourself:
http://hack.fi/~muzzy/sony-drm-magic-list.txt

If you want a more concrete proof, try to rename your favourite ripping software as $sys$whatever.exe and then run it again. You'll notice that the DRM system can no longer detect it, and thus you'll get good copy of the track you try to rip instead of one filled with noise."

[shbaz]

If you want a more concrete proof, try to rename your favourite ripping software as $sys$whatever.exe and then run it again. You'll notice that the DRM system can no longer detect it, and thus you'll get good copy of the track you try to rip instead of one filled with noise."

Interesting how a side-effect of the DRM software is that it allows you to hide other software from itself.

[Ishmael]

What did I say!

[RickJ]

In case anyone wants to go prank some music stores the name name of the CD that started this is   "Get Right With the Man" by Van Zant, a Southern rock act signed to Columbia Records.