Warning: Sony bundles malware with Chieftains CD

[Craig Stuntz]

Sony music has made news in the past few weeks by bunding a rootkit and other malware with some of their CD releases; it's harmful to your computer to even put these CDs in the drive. Unfortunately a CD by The Chieftains, Live from Dublin is amongst the CDs which contain the harmful software, and, doubly unfortunately, Sony's tools to fix the problem thus far only make it worse.

I've written much more about the problem here, with links to technical analysis and information on the recent lawsuit about this software.

I have no reason to believe The Chieftains approve of this.

[Flyingcursor]

Is there any way of finding out what which other CD's may be infected?

[Craig Stuntz]

Is there any way of finding out what which other CD's may be infected?

Yes, here's the list of Sony CDs with MediaMax. However, this is not Sony's only malware application. The CDs on this list contain the so-called "Sony rootkit" (XCP) malware.

And other labels may use these products, which were both developed by third-parties and licensed to Sony.

[Tyler]

That's good to know, although I've never had an experience with their malware...I have the Legion of Boom album by The Crystal Method and never had a problem with it in my computer...in fact I was able to use Nero and a patch to slice through Sony's so-called content protection.

Which makes me wonder, why do the try and bother with content protection and anti-copying anywhoo...there has yet to be one that can't be gotten around. The money they're putting into the R&D of these things surely must be greater than their supposed losses to "piracy."

[I.D.10-t]

Malware irritates the heck out of me. I dislike the idea of things that I legally purchase having it. I haven’t purchased music for this reason. I hope in the future artists will write in their contracts what a publisher can and cannot do with their art.

[Craig Stuntz]

Which makes me wonder, why do the try and bother with content protection and anti-copying anywhoo...there has yet to be one that can't be gotten around. The money they're putting into the R&D of these things surely must be greater than their supposed losses to "piracy."

I've seen speculation they're trying to make the CDs difficult to use with iTunes/iPod to put pressure on Apple to open up their service to other publishers more. That's speculation, but what's clear is that none of this is done for the benefit of people who buy the music legally.

[Wombat]

Is this stuff the same as on CDs marked 'copy controlled?'

This sort of stuff infuriates me. Collectors buy the same music repackaged several times if the live long enough. It's outrageous that you can't copy music you buy for your own purposes; whoever heard of people being sued for making party or car tapes in the vinyl days or photocopying a whole book so they wouldn't have to underline the original?

If you are really annoyed, I don't mind saying that there is a very obvious (but time consuming) technical way around this problem if you want to play that CD safely on your computer but I hesitate to spell it out on a public forum in case it's illegal for me to do so. How it could be illegal to spell out a way of avoiding computer crashes is beyond me, but obviously I'd also be telling you how you could make illegal copies of that CD in the same breath.

[fearfaoin]

whoever heard of people being sued for making party or car tapes in the vinyl days

There WERE lawsuits against the manufacturers when recordable
cassette tapes first came out. Then a set amount was added by
Congress to the sale of every blank tape, which goes to the RIAA to
offset "losses". Same with VCR tapes.

[Craig Stuntz]

It's outrageous that you can't copy music you buy for your own purposes; whoever heard of people being sued for making party or car tapes in the vinyl days or photocopying a whole book so they wouldn't have to underline the original?

This is entirely legal. Despite Sony's efforts to make this difficult, you're within your rights to do this so long as you don't distribute the copies.

If you are really annoyed, I don't mind saying that there is a very obvious (but time consuming) technical way around this problem if you want to play that CD safely on your computer but I hesitate to spell it out on a public forum in case it's illegal for me to do so.

You can disable autorun on your computer to work around the malware installer. That's simple to do, and since others have already been sued for pointing it out and the suits have gone nowhere, I feel safe saying it. But you want to be damn sure it's turned off before putting a malware-laden CD into your computer.

[fearfaoin]

... since others have already been sued for pointing it out ...

Unbelievable. Bloody DMCA.

[Wombat]

If you are really annoyed, I don't mind saying that there is a very obvious (but time consuming) technical way around this problem if you want to play that CD safely on your computer but I hesitate to spell it out on a public forum in case it's illegal for me to do so.

You can disable autorun on your computer to work around the malware installer. That's simple to do, and since others have already been sued for pointing it out and the suits have gone nowhere, I feel safe saying it. But you want to be damn sure it's turned off before putting a malware-laden CD into your computer.

I had in mind something safer than that.

[Craig Stuntz]

I had in mind something safer than that.

Like booting with a bootable Linux CD and copying the audio tracks? That would work, too.

[Craig Stuntz]

whoever heard of people being sued for making party or car tapes in the vinyl days

There WERE lawsuits against the manufacturers when recordable
cassette tapes first came out. Then a set amount was added by
Congress to the sale of every blank tape, which goes to the RIAA to
offset "losses". Same with VCR tapes.

This is true, but the tax is to offset losses due to illegal copying, and Wombat's examples aren't illegal. Also, I'm not sure it goes to the RIAA, but that's a side issue.

An odd result of this is that there are now "audio" and "data" recordable CDs. The only differences between the two are 1) a couple of bits set to distinguish the two, and 2) the tax. Since the taxed "audio" CD-Rs are more expensive, nobody uses them except for the few people who own standalone, non-computer, non-"professional" CD recorders which force you to use "audio" media.

[Wombat]

I had in mind something safer than that.

Like booting with a bootable Linux CD and copying the audio tracks? That would work, too.

So long as you can safely play these CDs on a stereo system, the trick I had in mind couldn't go wrong. I'm reluctant to spell it out though. I don't want to be sued, even if the company has no realistic chance of success.

[fearfaoin]

This is true, but the tax is to offset losses due to illegal copying, and Wombat's examples aren't illegal.

I was merely noting the presense of the lawsuits.

Also, I'm not sure it goes to the RIAA, but that's a side issue.

RIAA, BMG, same evil empire.