Rootkit

German Retailer to Pay Damages Over Sony BMG 'Rootkit' CD

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 14, 2009 - 9:35am.

New York - A German court has ordered a retailer there to pay compensation to an individual who claimed financial losses as a result of placing a music CD with faulty anti-piracy software from Sony (NYSE: SNE) BMG into his computers, TorrentFreak reported.

Sony BMG Settles FTC Charges Over Copy-Protected "Rootkit" CDs

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 30, 2007 - 1:38pm.

Washington - Major record label Sony BMG has settled Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that it sold CDs containing anti-piracy "rootkit" software that could open consumers' computers to attacks.

Sony BMG to Pay $1.5 Million to Settle Some CD "Rootkit" Complaints

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 20, 2006 - 7:40am.

Los Angeles - Major record label Sony BMG will pay more than $1.5 million to settle cases in California and Texas over its inclusion of "rootkit" anti-copying technology on music CDs, which had the unintended effect of opening PCs to malicious attacks.

Judge Approves Terms of Sony BMG "Rootkit" CD Settlement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 24, 2006 - 7:52pm.

New York - A U.S. District Court judge has given final approval to a settlement for consumers who purchased Sony BMG music CDs that featured a "rootkit" security measure that put their computers at risk.

Sony BMG Recalls "Rootkit" CDs; Software Fix May Also Cause Problems

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 15, 2005 - 6:41am.

Washington - Sony BMG has announced that it will recall millions of CDs that contained anti-piracy software that can damage PCs, and offered to exchange copies purchased by consumers, USA Today reported. Sony said that more than 4 million copies of 20 albums featuring the software were manufactured, 2.1 million of which have already been sold. Citing data from security researcher Dan Kaminsky, The Washington Post reports that the controversial "rootkit" anti-piracy technology -- which Microsoft yesterday dubbed malicious software and began efforts to remove from Windows PCs -- is installed on more than half a million computer networks in at least 165 countries. The Sony BMG software, developed by First 4 Internet to prevent users from making unauthorized song copies, hides itself deep within a PC's operating system. The rootkit used to hide the anti-piracy software can be also utilized by virus writers to hide their tracks; trying to remove the software can also permanently damage a PC's ability to play CDs. Meanwhile, the San Jose Mercury News reports that security researchers have found that the patch Sony BMG posted to remove the offensive software may actually cause more problems than the rootkit itself. "The consequences of the flaw are severe,'' Princeton computer science professor Ed Felten and graduate student J. Alex Halderman wrote in a blog posting. "It allows any Web page you visit to download, install and run any code it likes on your computer."

tags: Sony | Software | CD | BMG | Rootkit | Fix | Problems |

Sony BMG Halts Production of "Rootkit" CDs; Microsoft Offers Removal Tool

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 14, 2005 - 7:45am.

New York - Major record label Sony BMG has temporarily halted production of music CDs that include a controversial copy-protection tool that allowed hackers to hide malicious software on PCs and spied on which CDs users listened to. ''We stand by content protection technology as an important tool to protect our intellectual property rights and those of our artists," the label said in a note on its website. ''Nonetheless, as a precautionary measure, Sony BMG is temporarily suspending the manufacture of CDs containing XCP technology." The "rootkit" technology in question, developed by U.K.-based First 4 Internet, hides software that prevents users from making unauthorized copies of CDs deep within a PC's operating system, with the unintended effect of enabling virus writers to piggyback their malicious software on the rootkit. Several antivirus firms provided updates that identify or remove the rootkit last week, and now Microsoft has determined that the software is a security risk as well, and will remove the rootkit through an update offered to Windows PC users. Sony has not said whether it will recall CDs containing the rootkit that have already shipped, or provide refunds for those already purchased by consumers. The company also faces a class action lawsuit from consumers with affected computers.