full-disclosure - the "Sony/BMG" virus

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date: Fri Nov 11 17:07:54 2005
From: bkfsec at sdf.lonestar.org (bkfsec)
Subject: the "Sony/BMG" virus

Kenneth Ng wrote:

>
>>They treat us all like cattle, as Barry said.
>>    
>>
>
>They treat us like cattle?  I think this treatment is worse than
>convicted child molesters.
>- You have a EULA that no reasonable person can understand
>- If you go bankrupt, you loose rights to the music.
>- If you loose the orignals, you loose rights to the music.
>- Sony has the right to install anything they want on your computer
>and do anything they want.
>- Right now the program phones home with info every time you play a
>song.  How long before it phones home when you play competitors songs?
> Or prevent you from going to an independent music site?
>- Trying to remove the rootkit can trash your system
>- To get the removal program, you need to sign up for Sony marketing.
>
>
>  
>
If you're saying that I'm understating the situation, then I'd say that 
you're correct.

And as long as we're speculating on how they're going to use the data 
they're collecting from the removal process, note that everyone is 
provided with a "case ID".  Roll this around for a minute and think to 
yourself "Why would Sony want a list of people that they know have 
removed DRM software from their computers?"

If the term "future law suits for copyright infringement" pops into your 
head, you wouldn't be alone.

I think that collecting marketing information is only the tip of the 
iceberg for what they could choose to do with that data.

                -bkfsec