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Sony Rootkit Roundup
Nov. 17th, 2005 12:13 pmProbably most people have read/heard about the Sony rootkit debacle by now, but hey, I thought I'd do a post on it anyway *g* for those of you who might not be aware, or who might like more info.
Basically, this year, Sony released 52 different titles, and on these thousands of cds, they included a rootkit installer. Rootkit installers are generally something that end up on your computer when hackers try to hide the fact that you're infected with a virus. The rootkit is basically a number of different programs to conceal what the Trojan/virus is up to. In the case of Sony, the rootkit is there to hide both the DRM software -- that's limiting you to making a certain number of copies of the disc, and to hide a piece of software by a company called Suncomm. The software is called MediaMax, and it reports back to Suncomm on what you're doing on your computer (Spyware, basically).
Moreover, if you attempt to remove the rootkit, as people did, since they spotted it with anti-virus measures, and believed they had been infected by a virus, the removal of the rootkit cripples your system.
Over at Boing Boing they have a fantastic round-up of the timeline of this disaster, and what you should be aware of, in case you own any of these discs. The round-up, from October 31st to November 14th starts here and covers the discovery of the rootkit, the implications, the fact that Sony then released an "uninstaller" which was worse than the original rootkit, the discovery of the MediaMax software, and how using the uninstaller leaves your system open to dangerous attacks.
Today they posted Part II of the Roundup: just go to the front page and scroll down. They're at the point now where the EFF is suing, the military has told their staff not to put audio cds into computers, many companies have banned Sony discs, retailers are frothing, and Sony is having to recall discs.
Be sure to take care, even if you're on a Mac -- apparently, the rootkits can take on this OS as well.
ETA: This page has some great screenshots of things to look for on cds, that tip you off to whether or not they may have XCP or Suncomm software that will install itself on your computer. It also lists 8 cds (in addition to the 52 above) with the Suncomm software on it.
Basically, this year, Sony released 52 different titles, and on these thousands of cds, they included a rootkit installer. Rootkit installers are generally something that end up on your computer when hackers try to hide the fact that you're infected with a virus. The rootkit is basically a number of different programs to conceal what the Trojan/virus is up to. In the case of Sony, the rootkit is there to hide both the DRM software -- that's limiting you to making a certain number of copies of the disc, and to hide a piece of software by a company called Suncomm. The software is called MediaMax, and it reports back to Suncomm on what you're doing on your computer (Spyware, basically).
Moreover, if you attempt to remove the rootkit, as people did, since they spotted it with anti-virus measures, and believed they had been infected by a virus, the removal of the rootkit cripples your system.
Over at Boing Boing they have a fantastic round-up of the timeline of this disaster, and what you should be aware of, in case you own any of these discs. The round-up, from October 31st to November 14th starts here and covers the discovery of the rootkit, the implications, the fact that Sony then released an "uninstaller" which was worse than the original rootkit, the discovery of the MediaMax software, and how using the uninstaller leaves your system open to dangerous attacks.
Today they posted Part II of the Roundup: just go to the front page and scroll down. They're at the point now where the EFF is suing, the military has told their staff not to put audio cds into computers, many companies have banned Sony discs, retailers are frothing, and Sony is having to recall discs.
Be sure to take care, even if you're on a Mac -- apparently, the rootkits can take on this OS as well.
ETA: This page has some great screenshots of things to look for on cds, that tip you off to whether or not they may have XCP or Suncomm software that will install itself on your computer. It also lists 8 cds (in addition to the 52 above) with the Suncomm software on it.
