Sony CDs Install Virus
As a service to the five people who are going to read this, I’d like to warn you about an anti-piracy measure that puts your computer at serious risk.
Some new CDs from Sony/BMG (there’s a list on their website) contain a piece of software that is commonly known as a “rootkit,” basically the holy grail of computer viruses. It installs itself without letting you know what it is, then hides itself from you, and allows a third party to do whatever it deems necessary. The third party in this case is Sony, and they’re likely interested in restricting what you can do with their CD, though there’s nothing stopping them from collecting other information, too.
So, from a privacy perspective, it sucks. But the real danger comes when someone figures out how to highjack Sony’s technology and use it to their advantage. And this will almost surely happen. In fact, if you’ve got it installed, try adding $sys$ to the front of any file or folder. With the rootkit installed, it disappears from view! (Don’t actually try that. It takes some serious computer ninja-action to get it back.) This would allow a malicious hacker to hide things from you on your own computer (like other viruses/spyware), but that’s just the beginning of the problem.
Why’d Sony do this? Because they’re scared of the internets, and they’ve got good reason to be. It hardly justifies this “rootkit” business, though. This is sort of like the John R. Willoughsby Horse-Drawn Carriage Company letting themselves into your garage with a crowbar and disabling the brakes on your Ford. Horseless carriage, indeed!
Anyway, do yourself a favor and check out the list. If you have any of the CDs on that list, Sony’s offered to let your exchange it for a non-virus containing CD. How nice! If you’ve already put that CD in your Windows computer (Macs are immune, as usual), well, you’re screwed. Just kidding. I’m sure there’s a way to get rid of it, but I don’t know how.