Text 12581, 80 rader
Skriven 2005-11-15 13:57:00 av CHARLES ANGELICH (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av ALAN ZISMAN
Ärende: Re: Sony/BMG DRM software
=================================

123c83985306
win95



Hello Alan - 

--8<--cut 

AZ>> 1) Most or many of the articles on this list the affected
AZ>> CDs. Important point-- not all, or even most Sony CDs,
AZ>> include this copy protection and the ones that do are
AZ>> clearly marked as Copy Protected on the CD packaging. 

btw: They can't "list the affected CDs" since SONY will not
admit which CDs or even how many CDs have this rootkit
installed on them. 

AZ>> 2) If you're not sure, download the patch-- which doesn't
AZ>> remove the software, but makes it visible... I've tried
AZ>> it; it will tell you if it doesn't find the software in
AZ>> question. 

CA>> The 'patch' is just another installer that re-installs the
CA>> DRM. This will give SONY spin control that many users
CA>> voluntarilly installed DRM on their machines when given
CA>> the option to. 

AZ>> 3) Yes, Sony is Sony-- a large corporation which makes
AZ>> hardware including VAIO computers, digital cameras,
AZ>> minidisc players, etc etc etc, and is involved in music
AZ>> and movie content, having purchased the former Columbia
AZ>> Records (and I believe Columbia Pictures) some time ago.
AZ>> The overlap between hardware and content is what's causing
AZ>> problems for them now, as they are feeling a need to
AZ>> cripple their hardware to protect their 'intellectual
AZ>> property'. 

CA>> The rootkit DRM doesn't just cripple SONY hardware, it
CA>> cripples any hardware it gets to execute on. This
CA>> pre-emptive strike against any/all customers who may/may
CA>> not pirate their music would be almost unimaginable a few
CA>> years ago. Even Microsoft has blushed at this absurdity. 

AZ> A US federal security agency official was quoted last week
AZ> as pointing out to Sony that 'it may be your content, but
AZ> they're not your computers'... which is, in my opinion,
AZ> well said. 

Yes, I thought it was short and to the point. 

AZ> There was no intention to imply that the rootkit only
AZ> affected Sony hardware; I was following up on a question
AZ> asking whether the company with these copy-protected CDs
AZ> was the same company that made VAIO laptops and desktops. 

I realize that you are well informed as to what is happening in
the computer related businesses but the use of the word "their"
implies, although unintentional, that the rootkit only affected
SONY hardware. 

Referring to the SONY supplied "solution" to their rootkit as a
"patch" is a misuse of the terminology. The "solution" does not
_patch_ anything it is a revised installer of the same DRM
software so that people using this "solution" to test for the
existence of the rootkit are then voluntarilly applying DRM
software to their machines even if the rootkit was never installed
on that particular machine. Cute eh?

>
>        ,                          ,
>      o/      Charles.Angelich      \o       ,
>     <|                              |>  __o/
>     / >          USA, MI           < \   __\__
 

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