ClumsyMonkey.net

I found this on another forum.

http://www.sysinternals.com/Blog/


Summarized: It seems that Sony Music has their latest CDs composed so that the Software Rootkit/Spyware XCP is installed when the CD is inserted into the Computer (Windows that is, no sign or proof that this is for other OS as well). The user notices nothing about this, all is done in the background without any notification.

From the moment of installation the program runs as background task, masking itself to remayn hidden. It's hard to detect (and was detected only by accident) and poses a major security issue, as it opens hackers a giant barn door to the computer 'infected'. The purpose seems to be that Sony can monitor the use of music, and monitor possible copyright violations.

The software is developed by a company named "First4Internet", and that pretty badly. PCs that are infected tend to crash MUCH more often. The license on the CD mentions nothing about this, so this is a clear violation of the users privacy. Should computers come to harm by this software, the author of the blog suspects that Sony might be forced to pay for damage done.

The software was found on the CD "Get Right With The Man" by Van Zant. How many CDs apart from that bear the Spyware is not known so far.



Sony = bitches.

I told Nikki her audio recording on her computer got messed up from the Healthy in Paranoid Times CD.

I heard that the new Bad Plus CD has this spyware, but I haven't experienced any problems from it so far.

:::troy:::

I think it's a pretty crappy thing for them to be doing. Maybe I'll mention it in my ethics in computer science class this afternoon.

Buying a cd from them and then they think they have a right to spy into my computer...that's like me going on one date with a girl and thinking it's okay to peek thru her bedroom window as she's changing..

^:lol:

and god, sony is absolutely rotten

SaturdayNightz wrote:Buying a cd from them and then they think they have a right to spy into my computer...that's like me going on one date with a girl and thinking it's okay to peek thru her bedroom window as she's changing..

It ... it isn't?

Axtech wrote:

SaturdayNightz wrote:Buying a cd from them and then they think they have a right to spy into my computer...that's like me going on one date with a girl and thinking it's okay to peek thru her bedroom window as she's changing..

It ... it isn't?

Don't worry, I'm pretty sure it is. The only tricky part is figuring out if it's okay for her to catch you doing it.

Um how can we get rid of this spyware thing?

faninor wrote:

Axtech wrote:

SaturdayNightz wrote:Buying a cd from them and then they think they have a right to spy into my computer...that's like me going on one date with a girl and thinking it's okay to peek thru her bedroom window as she's changing..

It ... it isn't?

Don't worry, I'm pretty sure it is. The only tricky part is figuring out if it's okay for her to catch you doing it.

that always helps the situation.

Sony sucks.

yeah how can you get rid of it?

because my computer crashes a hell of a lot.

That.. It.. that's fucking... THAT'S GOTTA BE ILLEGAL?

I like how, if anything, this kind of shit encourages people to just download pirated copies of stuff instead of buying it. Because that way, we aren't going to get random spyware installed on our computers.

Yeah for sure dude.

+piracy encouragment.

I'm totally gonna ask my friend about this. Her dad is an intellectual property lawyer.

faninor wrote:I like how, if anything, this kind of shit encourages people to just download pirated copies of stuff instead of buying it. Because that way, we aren't going to get random spyware installed on our computers.

Yay for Sony self-pwning themselves!

Unless it's stated or somehow implied that this software is being installed, it's a complete privacy violation.

That's crap man.

*thanks stars I haven't put the cd in Harry*

He's really feel violated.

IVE NEVER BEEN SO UPSET.

I just got a confermation email about olp, and it says right at the bottom, you MUST be atleast 18 years of age to attend the concert..... SOOOO MAD. NOOOO