Security expert Mark Russinovich of SysInternals (http://www.sysinternals.com/) found out that a current copy-protection method used by Sony BMG for their audio CDs exhibits rootkit-like functions. "Rootkits" are the most powerful and dangerous type of potentially harmful software, because they can integrate directly into the OS and are hard to detect and to remove.
The entire experience was frustrating and irritating. Not only had Sony put software on my system that uses techniques commonly used by malware to mask its presence, the software is poorly written and provides no means for uninstall.
Read about the discovery here: Sony, Rootkits and Digital Rights Management Gone Too Far (http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html)
Pretty damned interesting that DRM is now that evil. Thank goodness Mark Russinovich knows what the hell he's doing otherwise such information would be unknown.
Pretty damned interesting that DRM is now that evil. Thank goodness Mark Russinovich knows what the hell he's doing otherwise such information would be unknown.
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According to this [a href="http://tinyurl.com/daea2]http://tinyurl.com/daea2[/url] its also intended to stop you from using your iPod.
As it appears to have been badly programmed too I expect it wont be long before others use it to foist their own horrors
http://www.europe.f-secure.com/v-descs/xcp_drm.shtml (http://www.europe.f-secure.com/v-descs/xcp_drm.shtml)
More information: http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/#00000691 (http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/#00000691)
This is a bit scary. Is there any website that keeps track of which CD's have this (and other forms of) DRM?
just disable your autorun on your drives...simple really...EAC will rip this stuff anyway will it not....if not clone cd will
autorun is your enemy
Let's wait for the first virus coders that use Sony/BMG rootkit software to really harm a given system ...
I cannot imagine that Sony won't be sued over this ... especially in the U.S.
Let's wait for the first virus coders that use Sony/BMG rootkit software to really harm a given system ...
I cannot imagine that Sony won't be sued over this ... especially in the U.S.
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I'm sure that there's an EULA that says "By using this software if your computer malfunctions blah blah blah it's not our fault..".
This doesn't protect them?
Let's wait for the first virus coders that use Sony/BMG rootkit software to really harm a given system ...
I cannot imagine that Sony won't be sued over this ... especially in the U.S.
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I'm sure that there's an EULA that says "By using this software if your computer malfunctions blah blah blah it's not our fault..".
This doesn't protect them?
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Quite likely: no.
I hope they will be sued by several unhappy customers.
It should help the majors to think a little bit about all this drm insanity… but I’m probably dreaming...
More information: http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/#00000691 (http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/#00000691)
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quote
we recommend you contact Sony BMG directly via [a href="http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/form8.html]this web form[/url] and ask for directions on how to remove the software from your system. We've test driven this and they will provide you with tools to do this. However, they will install additional ActiveX components to your system while they are doing this so be adviced.
Edit: Don't do this, meanwhile it has become clear that this ActiveX plugin from first4Internet is worse than than the so-called root kit.
Sony will now provide a safer way (normal excecutable). check this (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=15561)
Hey, who has AutoRun still enabled
O and don't forget to buy an Sony "Approved Portable Device" that is compatible with this crap
I cannot understand Sony is doing this to their paying customers. They don't understand what they do to the music business... thwarting DVD-A, hardly issuing Multi Channel SACD and making it actually dangerous to put a legal version of their CD's in your computer.
P.S. Sony is most mentioned, but first4Internet made this software. I found this entry in the blog (http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html#113083683466490186) particularly interesting.
Hey, who has AutoRun still enabled
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Most likely, over 90% of XP users. Those who want to just use a PC without having to tweak this that and the other.
In case somebody hast still autorun/autoplay enabled (or doesn't know):
regedit -> regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Cdrom
"Autorun" "1" enabled
"Autorun" "0" disabled
This is a bit scary. Is there any website that keeps track of which CD's have this (and other forms of) DRM?
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There's something better - plain simply dont buy any CDs which were released by major labels, and you will be fine.
There's something better - plain simply dont buy any CDs which were released by major labels, and you will be fine.
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Indeed. We must have forgotten somehow that we are the customers and the market is still dependant on us.
The fact that this uses filter technique to hide its self from someone looking for it (they even have filters-filtering the registry) very distasteful, pure scum.
There's something better - plain simply dont buy any CDs which were released by major labels, and you will be fine.
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Indeed. We must have forgotten somehow that we are the customers and the market is still dependant on us.
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Right, but what most people misunderstand in that regard is that "listening" is also consuming. Thus, if people continue to listen to the same music but just "steal"(note: the term is not really correct) then they still support just those corporations - partially by "still being dependent on them" and partially by promoting them(yes, illegal filesharing is promotion).
So, what i meant with my ealier quote was not just "dont buy it", but "dont consume it". It's true that the alternative does require oneself to spent more time finding interesting music - however, what you will get for the added effort is higher quality music at lower prices without any of this DRM-crap.
Self-determination or i'll-take-whatever-you-put-down-my-throat. So, the real choice here is, do you want to choose yourself(requires more effort) or let others choose for you(results in mediocre quality and them abusing you).
Matti Nikki at lame-dev mailing list bought the Van Zant CD, and noticed one of the files (\Contents\GO.EXE) Contains the following string:
"http://www.mp3dev.org 0.90 LAME3.95"
So, besides breaking several costumer rights with that CD, they are also probably breaking the LGPL.
This is a bit scary. Is there any website that keeps track of which CD's have this (and other forms of) DRM?
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=338809"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
There's something better - plain simply dont buy any CDs which were released by major labels, and you will be fine.
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If we want to be cynical everybody should buy this CD and sue Sony. We should easily get back several times the money we spent on this crap and it will probably make them think about their mistakes...
If we want to be cynical everybody should buy this CD and sue Sony. We should easily get back several times the money we spent on this crap and it will probably make them think about their mistakes...
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Well that could backfire, at least in my thinking because we have already been informed about it, it's already common knowlegde to us. Now if we'd bought that CD without paying attention to the copy-protection and thinking it was a standard audio CD, etc., and the DRM'd shit was blindly installed like malware then we may have some preceived system damage that could be dealt with legally.
If Sony BMG gets a lawsuit out of it they probably won't really care that much if Joe Customer #1 through #100000 sues them, since they can after all afford it. They should create a real uninstaller that removes 100% of it without installing some extra bullshit like more ActiveX controls which is basicially a stating: "yes we'll remove our original shit, but we're going to put some different shit on your system just to make sure you can't rip one extra copy of the disc."
If we want to be cynical everybody should buy this CD and sue Sony. We should easily get back several times the money we spent on this crap and it will probably make them think about their mistakes...
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Well that could backfire, at least in my thinking because we have already been informed about it, it's already common knowlegde to us. Now if we'd bought that CD without paying attention to the copy-protection and thinking it was a standard audio CD, etc., and the DRM'd shit was blindly installed like malware then we may have some preceived system damage that could be dealt with legally.
If Sony BMG gets a lawsuit out of it they probably won't really care that much if Joe Customer #1 through #100000 sues them, since they can after all afford it. They should create a real uninstaller that removes 100% of it without installing some extra bullshit like more ActiveX controls which is basicially a stating: "yes we'll remove our original shit, but we're going to put some different shit on your system just to make sure you can't rip one extra copy of the disc."
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First they have to prove we were aware of this. Second they can afford the lawsuit but they really don't like the bad publicity around it (in the other hand this is not the first one nowadays ).
Hmm...2 months ago I ripped CD from Sony (and it turned out to be possible only in my Liteon 52x CDRW burner, not in Teac x40 CD-ROM), but since it was fresh install of new OS, it still had autorun and some window popped up saying basically "in order to listen to this CD, you have to install something in your system. OK to continue?". I used EAC instead...but I guess I have to check now if I'm clean
I just canceled my membership in bmgmusic.com, and I made it clear that it was because they have this album for sale, and don't even indicate that it has any form of copy protection. Perhaps if a few more people did this then it would catch someone's attention?
regedit -> regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Cdrom
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom is the right one i think. ControlSet00x could be wrong hardware profile.
Update:
Sony to let antivirus companies in on DRM code (http://engadget.com/entry/1234000437066304/#comments)
tsk tsk tsk...
So, what i meant with my ealier quote was not just "dont buy it", but "dont consume it".
I think that we as listeners to bands we really like (or care for) should also talk about all these issues to them.
This has made the BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4400148.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4400148.stm)
This has made the BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4400148.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4400148.stm)
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Very badly written, IMHO, too. Although all the main points are covered its so 'balanced' any 'uninformed' casual reader would really have to think hard to realise what all the 'fuss' is about.
This 'balanced journalism', of course, doesn't rear its head unless theirs a strong corporate or governmental interest involved.
This has made the BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4400148.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4400148.stm)
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Very badly written, IMHO, too. Although all the main points are covered its so 'balanced' any 'uninformed' casual reader would really have to think hard to realise what all the 'fuss' is about.
This 'balanced journalism', of course, doesn't rear its head unless theirs a strong corporate or governmental interest involved.
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I would have to disagree here. I have for the most part been impressed with BBC News. It strives to be unbiased and balanced. I don't think this is a case of outside interests. Moreover just good journalism. It leaves the reader a chance to form their own opinions.
This has made the BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4400148.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4400148.stm)
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Very badly written, IMHO, too. Although all the main points are covered its so 'balanced' any 'uninformed' casual reader would really have to think hard to realise what all the 'fuss' is about.
This 'balanced journalism', of course, doesn't rear its head unless theirs a strong corporate or governmental interest involved.
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I would have to disagree here. I have for the most part been impressed with BBC News. It strives to be unbiased and balanced. I don't think this is a case of outside interests. Moreover just good journalism. It leaves the reader a chance to form their own opinions.
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Fair enough if you think so. However, read this peice of journalism -
[a href="http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27426]http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27426[/url]
Which is obviously 'biased' against Sony but I think its far easer to understand Sony's response for what it is and what the issue means for consumers. One could always agree with Sony, after all, and reject all these arguments. But, without a critical perspective, from what ever point of view, journalism descends into this so called 'balanced' reporting.
Here's more quality journalism from the Enquirer http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27315 (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27315)
To be honest, i thought it was only 13yr olds that used them for "news".
anyway, journalists are supposed to be "balanced" i bet you would be bitching if they were unbalanced in sonys favor........ the words "short plank" and "thick as" spring to mind.
Video game hackers are using the Sony rootkit to help them cheat -
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/34 (http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/34)
Video game hackers are using the Sony rootkit to help them cheat -
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/34 (http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/34)
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Lovely, now all we have to do is just wait for someone to make it malicious.
Hopefully a future Windows Update or Service Pack will make the installation of rootkit's impossible, or at the least offer a warning -- perhaps that's just wishful thinking.
I don't know about other laws in the world but here in Belgium any attempt at invading a persons privacy through such well-hidden things is a serious violation of the "with reasonable and appropriate measures" principle.
Perhaps some US consumer's organisation could file a complaint against them if that applies in the USA as well? It will hit Sony where it hurts, in the wallet. Since ethical arguments do not impress these people at all it seems.
Video game hackers are using the Sony rootkit to help them cheat -
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/34 (http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/34)
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Lovely, now all we have to do is just wait for someone to make it malicious.
Hopefully a future Windows Update or Service Pack will make the installation of rootkit's impossible, or at the least offer a warning -- perhaps that's just wishful thinking.
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Sony has released a tool to allow removal of this stuff: [a href="http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/updates.html]http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/updates.html[/url]
Video game hackers are using the Sony rootkit to help them cheat -
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/34 (http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/34)
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Lovely, now all we have to do is just wait for someone to make it malicious.
Hopefully a future Windows Update or Service Pack will make the installation of rootkit's impossible, or at the least offer a warning -- perhaps that's just wishful thinking.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=339338"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Sony has released a tool to allow removal of this stuff: [a href="http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/updates.html]http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/updates.html[/url]
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(http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=339350")
Did you read all the posts in this thread? If not read the quote in GeSomeone's post:
[a href="http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=38439&view=findpost&p=338971]http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....ndpost&p=338971[/url]
im not sad about my pc to be infected , but the way that music industry turn into
now we don't care about the quality of music but we will if the cd is DRMed or not
Saw In Yahoo this morning that SONY has admitted error and posted a fix. Go Mark!
im not sad about my pc to be infected , but the way that music industry turn into
now we don't care about the quality of music
Who is "we"? Surely not all the peope who posted in threads like Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ? (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=27691), How much stereo crosstalk to degrade imaging? (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=38450), Resampling and Dither (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=38317) and countless others.
but we will if the cd is DRMed or not :(
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Either you started reading with the latest post or English is not your mother tongue; this thread went totally over your head.
im not sad about my pc to be infected , but the way that music industry turn into
now we don't care about the quality of music
Who is "we"? Surely not all the peope who posted in threads like Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ? (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=27691), How much stereo crosstalk to degrade imaging? (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=38450), Resampling and Dither (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=38317) and countless others.
but we will if the cd is DRMed or not
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Either you started reading with the latest post or English is not your mother tongue; this thread went totally over your head.
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about my english is not native language and i speak it bad but you didn't get my point at all
Who is "we"? Surely not all the peope who posted in threads like Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?, How much stereo crosstalk to degrade imaging?, Resampling and Dither and countless others.
i mean by we is people in general not we on this forum as you specify
yes there is countless thread about quality here but what the rate you give compare to zillion of people who listen to the music with lovely source like p2p and careless about the retail albums
but we will if the cd is DRMed or not
i mean now the protection scheme take the attention of people much more and its bad for music to go that way
now that common fot people to say go to p2p instead of buying cd's and you know the difference between them
so it better for the music industry to talk about the quality rather than "protected or not" i call it (DRMed but obviously you didn't like it )
just i hope greedy companies to not make us acquire license for every single "listen" or infect our pc to protect their sale (actually its done)
i hope you understand what i mean with that terrible grammar
Good news...Sony is being sued
Sony sued over DRM "rootkit" (http://engadget.com/entry/1234000650066981/)
Also...Sony still does not want to make an unistaller readily available
Mark's Sysinternals Blog (http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/11/more-on-sony-dangerous-decloaking.html)
The uninstall question on Sony’s FAQ page directs you to another page that asks you to fill out a form requesting for uninstall directions to be emailed to you. There’s no way to access the uninstaller without providing this information, and clicking on the Sony privacy policy link at the bottom of the page takes you to a notice that your email address can be added to various Sony marketing lists.
but the rootkit issue only came to light recently, thanks to Mark Russinovich, a systems expert with a flawless understanding of Windows’ internal workings and questionable musical tastes.
Well, about the uninstaller and marketing lists problems, we can just say that they never learn.
Gotta see these Amazon reviews...
If you avoid installing the rootkit, has anyone tried ripping from one of these CDs? Does it work?
Gotta see these Amazon reviews...
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They are beautiful. Nothing related to the music, but just to the DRM issue.
[a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00092ZM02/qid=1131572208/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0595899-2744057?v=glance&s=music&n=507846]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=music&n=507846[/url]
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=music&n=507846 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000ANVPG0/qid=1131572208/sr=8-3/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-0595899-2744057?v=glance&s=music&n=507846)
The first malware taking advantage of this has been released: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051110/wr_nm/sony_hack_dc (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051110/wr_nm/sony_hack_dc)
The first malware taking advantage of this has been released: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051110/wr_nm/sony_hack_dc (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051110/wr_nm/sony_hack_dc)
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I didn't think it would take long for malware writers to take advantage of it, and I was spot-on.
There are now 3 concurrent lawsuits against Sony, the one in Italy (already mentioned) and two in the US (http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2005/11/calif_ny_lawsui.html).
- Panda Software's weekly report on viruses and intruders -
Virus Alerts, by Panda Software (http://www.pandasoftware.com)
Madrid, November 11 2005 - This week's report looks at a backdoor Trojan
-Ryknos.A-, three vulnerabilities in the Windows graphics rendering
engine, a worm -Lupper.A-, and a Trojan -Zagaban.H-.
Ryknos.A is a backdoor Trojan that opens port 8080 and connects to
several IP addresses to receive remote control commands -such as
downloading or running files- to take on the affected computer.
Ryknos.A installs itself on the Windows system directory under the name
"$SYS$DRV.EXE". In this way, in systems with Sony Digital Rights
Management software installed, it uses the rootkit included with this
software to hide any file whose name starts with "$SYS$" from Windows
Explorer.
No Comments!
They are beautiful. Nothing related to the music, but just to the DRM issue.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=music&n=507846 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00092ZM02/qid=1131572208/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0595899-2744057?v=glance&s=music&n=507846)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=music&n=507846 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000ANVPG0/qid=1131572208/sr=8-3/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-0595899-2744057?v=glance&s=music&n=507846)
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The solution to this big abuse is clear:
DON'T BUY ANY PROTECT CD's!! from Sony or any disc label.
We, the consumers, don't deserve to be mistreated this way.
In the moment that more and more people reject these criminals and arrogant actions from these big corporations (as Sony), then, and only in that moment the problem will begin to have solution.
They are beautiful. Nothing related to the music, but just to the DRM issue.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=music&n=507846 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00092ZM02/qid=1131572208/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0595899-2744057?v=glance&s=music&n=507846)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=music&n=507846 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000ANVPG0/qid=1131572208/sr=8-3/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-0595899-2744057?v=glance&s=music&n=507846)
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The solution to this big abuse is clear:
DON'T BUY ANY PROTECT CD's!! from Sony or any disc label.
We, the consumers, don't deserve to be mistreated this way.
In the moment that more and more people reject these criminals and arrogant actions from these big corporations (as Sony), then, and only in that moment the problem will begin to have solution.
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Sony has "temporarily" decided to stop making cds with this technology (I wonder what they'll come up with next that they won't tell us about): [a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mymod/hdln/vm/sty/*http://story.news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051111/music_nm/sony_copyprotection_dc]http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mymod/hdln/vm/sty/*...pyprotection_dc[/url]
three vulnerabilities in the Windows graphics rendering engine
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So is that report referring to GDI, most notibly GDI.exe and/or the already patched for vulnerabilities gdiplus.dll?
That's it - I'm not buying any CDs any more. I've had my doubts before due to all the previous DRM methods, loudness race etc. but this was the final straw. Don't know how I'll get my music from now on, but certainly not the old CD way.
The paranoia of the music industry is getting ridicules...somehow they don't understand that people that buy CD's are not the enemy and not the ones that share music...how else can it be that many releases are available on the internet even before they hit stores...maybe cleaning out in their own rows would be just as efficient How can they fight against someone that supports them?!
Anyway, Sony is the one that gets punished heavily for this…hopefully it teaches the other labels a lesson here so they don't even think about implementing something similar…
That's it - I'm not buying any CDs any more. I've had my doubts before due to all the previous DRM methods, loudness race etc. but this was the final straw. Don't know how I'll get my music from now on, but certainly not the old CD way.
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There is no life outside of hollywood - we're all doomed!
Hint: more than 90% of albums released worldwide do not come from major labels. However, most of the albums sold worldwide do come from major labels.
... how else can it be that many releases are available on the internet even before they hit stores ... maybe cleaning out in their own rows would be just as efficient
A little conspiracy theory here ... this could as well be free advertising for them.
... how else can it be that many releases are available on the internet even before they hit stores ... maybe cleaning out in their own rows would be just as efficient
A little conspiracy theory here ... this could as well be free advertising for them.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=341496"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Naah. 99% of the time I believe it's the music press or friends the music press have passed the CDs onto.
3. Can I get a copy of the disc without the content protected technology?
No. We manufacture only one commercial version of each new release, a content protected version.
1. I have an Apple Macintosh computer. Will the disc work on my MAC?
Yes. This disc will behave like a traditional CD in a Mac.
oh the hypocricy! that cracks me up
we won't even touch the other points...
http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/faq.html (http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/faq.html)
Just a little note to all HA users, that there have been trojans and viruses found out in the wild that uses this exploit to propagate itself and hide from view. Currently the risk is low as it is slow spreading. Can't remember the source but I am sure I read it from CNet news. Just update your virus scanners to get new definitions or check whether the virus scanner can detect the DRM rootkit.
Regards
We're nearing the final chapter of this horror story
Sony recalls the CDs with this version of the XCP protection from the shops and offers customers to exchange bought disc with a non XCPed one.
Meanwhile it has turned out that the ActiveX plugin (from first4Internet), that was used to remove the 'rootkit' upon request of the user (through Sony support), was more dangerous than the rootkit itself!
It stays on the computer (in Internet Explorer) and leaves the computer with a wide open backdoor
[span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%']Full story on many places on the Internet like [/span]here (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=15561)
At the very least, this has created a healthy mistrust towards what in the name of DRM can be done.
I don't think we're near the end of it. Yeah, Sony perhaps is recalling the Cds...but just look at those maps...
http://www.doxpara.com/ (http://www.doxpara.com/)
http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/titles.html (http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/titles.html)
A list of cds with this garbage.
http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/titles.html (http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/titles.html)
A list of cds with this garbage.[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=342562")
Strange. I've got this CD from the list:
8. Bob Brookmeyer Bob Brookmeyer & Friends CK94292 827969429228 and there is no copy protection. It's pretty new and it's purchased 3 weeks ago. ???
And what more: the list is missing Santana new CD [a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00097DXZS/103-0213833-1699024?v=glance&n=5174&s=music&v=glance]All That I Am[/url], which is even announced as [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] ???
http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/titles.html (http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/titles.html)
A list of cds with this garbage.[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=342562")
Strange. I've got this CD from the list:
8. Bob Brookmeyer Bob Brookmeyer & Friends CK94292 827969429228
and there is no copy protection. It's pretty new and it's purchased 3 weeks ago. ???
And what more: the list is missing Santana new CD [a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00097DXZS/103-0213833-1699024?v=glance&n=5174&s=music&v=glance]All That I Am[/url], which is even announced as [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] ???
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=342569"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I think only US releases had this DRM stuff, UK didn't, and as your from "universe" i guess yours is unaffectd
Kristian
The solution to this big abuse is clear:
DON'T BUY ANY PROTECT CD's!! from Sony or any disc label.
We, the consumers, don't deserve to be mistreated this way.
In the moment that more and more people reject these criminals and arrogant actions from these big corporations (as Sony), then, and only in that moment the problem will begin to have solution.
Yeah!
That's it - I'm not buying any CDs any more. I've had my doubts before due to all the previous DRM methods, loudness race etc. but this was the final straw. Don't know how I'll get my music from now on, but certainly not the old CD way.
Well you can always borrow some CD'S from your friends. Anyway for me this is also a final straw I'll never buy a copy protected CD anymore!
The paranoia of the music industry is getting ridicules... somehow they don't understand that people that buy CD's are not the enemy and not the ones that share music... how else can it be that many releases are available on the internet even before they hit stores... maybe cleaning out in their own rows would be just as efficient How can they fight against someone that supports them?!
Yep, it seems that the music industry managers don't have at least a little piece of brain in their heads...
Anyway, Sony is the one that gets punished heavily for this… hopefully it teaches the other labels a lesson here so they don't even think about implementing something similar…
I really doubt about it, the end is nowhere IMO...
DRM's concept makes sense to a very small point. But adding DRM to CD's is just plain dumb. They want to stop piracy, so what do they do? They punish the people who are actuall still buying the music like a bunch of idiots. The "pirates" don't care about copy protection because they are rarely the ones buying the discs in the first place. Sony has no brains.
Matti Nikki at lame-dev mailing list bought the Van Zant CD, and noticed one of the files (\Contents\GO.EXE) Contains the following string:
"http://www.mp3dev.org 0.90 LAME3.95"
So, besides breaking several costumer rights with that CD, they are also probably breaking the LGPL.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=338998"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I also heard about this in a Podcast today. Any new information on how it could affect Sony or LAME devs?
It's just sooo sleazy.
http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/titles.html (http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/titles.html)
14. The Coral . . The Invisible Invasion
This title gave away what they were doing
This situation has actually helped me a bit.
I was dithering back and forth about getting my son an X Box 360 for Christmas or waiting for a PS3.
X Box it is.
The decision to get a Blue Ray or HD-DVD player is now equally easy.
I hope they are roundly censured for this,and that ultimately new laws protecting our rights will result.
It will be interesting to see how Sony's lawyers explain how collecting and transmitting info on listening habits without the users permission helps them protect their content.
It appears they ripped off DVD John, too.
Sony's DRM woes expand to include copyright infringement (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/80271/sonys-drm-woes-expand-to-include-copyright-infringement.html)
SONY=Software pirates
http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/securityfi...bmg_has_ju.html (http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2005/11/sony_bmg_has_ju.html)
The exchange part is rather funny.
If you avoid installing the rootkit, has anyone tried ripping from one of these CDs? Does it work?
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=340559"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Yes, it does work if you use EAC. Real Player (ugh) and probably most other low-end Windows CD rippers (AKA WMP, iTunes, etc.) saw absolutely nothing.
You sure about that? I just bought a used copy of the Sarah McLachlan - Bloom Remix Album tonight and I couldn't do anything with it really. The minute you don't accept the disclaimer that pops up it will eject the CD. And when I tried running EAC on it with the pop-up just sitting there I kept getting sync errors on both of my drives. I have JLMS & a Lite-On (which are both made by the evil empire).
The other thing I noticed is that right after inserting the disc a window popped up that said it was scanning and updating my component library...WTF?
I haven't noticed anything unusual since then, but I'm still a bit uneasy about this. I have been able to insert other discs and copy them with EAC to FLAC and then convert the FLAC to mp3 using foobar. And the resulting files sound and seem to be completely normal...
Is there anything I should be worried about here?
JXL <---Seriously pissed off consumer
Have you tried disabling Autorun (temporarily)?
Just hold the Shift key when inserting the CD 'til the LED on your drive stops blinking.
Most copy protection b0rks out when Autorun is disabled.
I don't have autorun enabled...I just double checked my registry too and its set to 0 like I thought.
I also saw a new line in there though....
Regedit -> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> System -> ControlSet001 -> Services -> Cdrom
called AutoRunAlwaysDisable with a bunch of listings for drives I dont have
Here's data listing for it
NEC MBR-7
NEC MBR-7.4
PIONEER CHANGR DRM-1804X
PIONEER CD-ROM DRM-6324X
PIONEER CD-ROM DRM-624X
TORiSAN CD-ROM CDR_C36
JXL
To make sure it's disabled, check under CurrentControlSet rather than ControlSet001.
[span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'](most of the time, it's probably the same, but I can never be too sure...)[/span]
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom
Anyway, that AutoRunAlwaysDisable key, I think it's normal.
Ya, I changed it to '0' on all 3 tabs Control001, Control003, & CurrentControlSet just to be safe.
I still can't do anything with the cd though. It will go to about 1% and then start doing constant read and sync errors no matter what I do or which drive I run it on.
Stupid Sony...
Correction...I can rip it with the oh so great WMP
Lets see how windows media lossless sounds at the highest settings.
Haha...omg this is so retarded its funny. It was nothing but skips and little bits of the actual music. Thought I might get a seizure or some shiz...
I still can't do anything with the cd though. It will go to about 1% and then start doing constant read and sync errors no matter what I do or which drive I run it on.[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=347492"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Some protected CDs won't work well w/ EAC's Secure Mode.
Try Fast or even Burst Mode.
The same thing happened w/ my copy of Coldplay - X&Y, but Fast Mode did its job.
Anyway, have Sony released a real remover of its rootkitted DRM?
Nope, burst and fast mode didn't work either. The sound still cuts in and out like it did with the WMP rips. Just going to take the CD back tomorrow and tell them to set fire to it...
Well, if you're actually patient enough, you might get proper rips out of it.
When Secure Mode is very slow due to the (very) frequent read & sync error, just let it finish.
Sometimes the resulting rip'd sound just fine; try it w/ ripping a track first, not the whole album rightaway.
I had one of those 'hard-to-rip' Audio CDs that behaved like that.
And OMG, I'm really getting OOT here...sorry guys... =/
Hehe...it's all good people have been asking about this in the thread. Thanks for the info though. I'll give secure mode another try and see how it turns out.
JXL
It's just that I'm afraid to tick someone off by getting somewhat OOT.
Well, any way, good luck.
If it turns out bad, you can always try analogue recording...
Just found this artile from yesterday over on the BBC site. May be of interest to people
LINK (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4511042.stm)
Kristian
And don't forget to read Mark's blog (http://www.sysinternals.com/Blog/), people. =)
As for notifying consumers of the problem, Ben Edelman has researched the phone-home behavior of the Sony Player software that comes on the CDs and found that, if it wanted, Sony could inform every infected customer that a recall is in place.
oh dear... together with the rootkit behaviour.... wouldn't that basically mean that sony made it so that they could hijack any PC which has the DRM installed, if they wanted to? Boys, if one year ago, someone would have warned about such a thing happening .... most would have called him a "paranoid conspiracy-freak".
Lyx
... together with the rootkit behaviour.... wouldn't that basically mean that sony made it so that they could hijack any PC which has the DRM installed, if they wanted to? ... [a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=348969"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Exactly.
That's why any 'victory declaration' should be postponed until Sony BMG
really undo all of their mishaps.
~likeThatWouldHappen...
"Free downloads end Sony CD saga
Millions of music fans will be given free music downloads or money to compensate for flawed anti-piracy software on CDs from label Sony BMG "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5007578.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5007578.stm)
Well the original rootkit can be blocked from installation using SpywareBlaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html) using customblocking.txt (http://forum.ccleaner.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=3567&view=findpost&p=25137).
This is really interesting. But I can't find out how I'd claim the compensation for the Velvet Revolver cd I bought a while ago. Has anyone got any more info?
This is really interesting. But I can't find out how I'd claim the compensation for the Velvet Revolver cd I bought a while ago. Has anyone got any more info?
Email sony, let them do the work, the more customer support they have to give for their wrong doing the better.
According to the Sony BMG Settlement Page (http://www.sonybmgcdtechsettlement.com/index.htm), consumers have until December 31 to file a claim.