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[sirris]

Rootkit Used to Hack WoW

Thats so unbelievably annoying. I hope only the worst for Sony for creating this nightmare.

 

[Link1110]

I'll probably get flamed like hell for this, but whatever.

If you hate what Sony does so much, remember it when they're asking you to pay $500 for their ps3.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I'll probably get flamed like hell for this, but whatever.

If you hate what Sony does so much, remember it when they're asking you to pay $500 for their ps3.

Well this thread is off to promising start.

 

[DCharlie]

stupid question - why did it take the Sony rootkit thing to do this, couldn't you do this without this particular rootkit?

 

[DDayton]

stupid question - why did it take the Sony rootkit thing to do this, couldn't you do this without this particular rootkit?

If there's no particular technical reason for it, then I'd assume it would be because the hackers hate Sony.

 

[White Man]

Oh well, at least you can still all play the fabulous Everquest 2, amirite? Go play EQ2, now!

 

[svenuce]

I presume this could just as easily mask things for EQ2 hacks (or COH, Lineage 2, etc.)

 

[civilstrife]

I know nothing about this, but this Evil Avatar thread made me fear it.

... and when a say hacks and exploits, I mean crippling damage to people's Windows installations, not just cheating. Undetectable trojans and keystroke-loggers are 100% feasible on any computer which has been compromised by Sony's DRM.

frankly, if i were microsoft, I'd pull Sony's windows license. Because what they did is take windows security and swiss cheese it all to hell. Which frankly, Microsoft doesn't really need any help with.

The messed up thing was I had to formulate a policy at work today because of this. I then had to spend the whole day explaining the technical aspects of it. I also then had to see if anyone has played any Sony CDs over the last year. Sigh. The gist:

No more Audio CDs in computers at work.

People were floored. People were pissed.

Thank you, Sony, and your messed up DRM. I then went home and elimiated, traded in, or sold everything I had with their tarnished name in my house. (Bye-bye, PSP) They have gone too far and there is no excuse for it. We're talking about changing the kernel here, people. The actual OS. There are more companies out there and different avenues of games and electronics. Strange. At one time I was a Sony zealot and fanboy. They could do no wrong.

No more. NO MORE!

I usually don't get this vehement over an issue such as this

 

[Pachinko]

it would work for anything , but on the other hand I'm thinking if it's actually becoming a problem that people are playing with hacked up players in WoW blizzard will just autopatch the game to not s tart up at all unless it detects rootkit is closed in the background or perhaps a patch that detects programs with the $ added. I mean how hard could it be ?

 

[datruth29]

I think the main reason why this is possible with the Sony Rootkit is because its a clean Rootkit. There's no payload behind it, so its not going to destroy your computer. So hackers, or in this case cheaters, can use it to there advantage without messing up your computer to carelessly and such. Not only that, but the rootkit is only deteced by a few rootkit scanners.

Here's the link to the guy who found the rootkit in the Sony CD.

Edit: No! My flying squirrel! Gone! Damn you Photobucket!!

 

[The Faceless Master]

it would work for anything , but on the other hand I'm thinking if it's actually becoming a problem that people are playing with hacked up players in WoW blizzard will just autopatch the game to not s tart up at all unless it detects rootkit is closed in the background or perhaps a patch that detects programs with the $ added. I mean how hard could it be ?

well, the problem is how low of a level the rootkit acts at...

wow can't detect something that windows says isnt there...

 

[DCharlie]

ah, i see so the issue is that the rootkit is installed from sony cds played in a PC thereby compromising the security of that particular computer? And that the fact that sony music CDs will have probably been played on a few PCs around the world?

christ, isn't this potentially a) a large problem for MS b) a large law suit against sony?

 

[Juice]

Oh sweet jesus. This is just too poetic. Wish I'd brought a camera.

If your car were built as a standard vehicle, but a media publisher were this paranoid when you put CDs into the system, because you might play the music loud enough for others to enjoy it out of your windows then this would be the equivalent to just having the CD melt the connections to the receiver. You can still play your CD, just can't hear it. Or listen to anything else. Unless you plug headphones in. Which is illegal unless you're parked.

Fuck Sony for this. I hope it becomes a big enough scandal that we still have a little privacy in five years.

By the way, I use a Mac. So yay OS X.

 

[bitwise]

wow this is pretty shocking.

 

[Rhindle]

Has anyone seen a list of Sony CDs that install this software?


Nice big FU here from Sony to people who purchase their music legally.

 

[Polari]

This is going to have serious repercussions.

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

Good thing I don't buy CDs anymore let alone Sony ones.

 

[datruth29]

ah, i see so the issue is that the rootkit is installed from sony cds played in a PC thereby compromising the security of that particular computer? And that the fact that sony music CDs will have probably been played on a few PCs around the world?

christ, isn't this potentially a) a large problem for MS b) a large law suit against sony?

A large problem for MS? Potentially, yes, being that it cripples the system security wise. A;; you need to do is put your files with $sys$ as its prefix and it disappears, hiding away, doing its deed. And the messed up part is if you try to install, you fuck up your CD drive and wont be able to use.

As for Sony facing a law suit, its quite possible. From the article, the guy says that Sony never mentions in its EULA that it would be installing this software on the computer(!!!).

 

[blackadde]

That's pretty fucking terrible. Sony has always had wierd proprietary software but I never thought any major label would go this far.

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

the guy says that Sony never mentions in its EULA that it would be installing this software on the computer(!!!).

.

The End-User License Agreement (EULA) on the Van Zant CD states that the "CD will automatically install a small proprietary software program", which is "intended to protect the audio files embodied on the CD". It also limit its liability to $5, "for any loss or damage, either direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or otherwise" caused by Sony (in Article 6 of the agreement), and defends itself against damages arising out of your actions (in Article 7), thereby protecting itself from potential damage caused to the CD player if the software is removed.

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,39020381,39235647,00.htm

 

[Macam]

The irony? The root kit has a service pack. Steve Gibson goes into it here (20-30m audio file).

 

[DCharlie]

"The End-User License Agreement (EULA) on the Van Zant CD states that the "CD will automatically install a small proprietary software program", which is "intended to protect the audio files embodied on the CD". It also limit its liability to $5, "for any loss or damage, either direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or otherwise" caused by Sony (in Article 6 of the agreement), and defends itself against damages arising out of your actions (in Article 7), thereby protecting itself from potential damage caused to the CD player if the software is removed."

hold on, can you just say that though?

if the program seriously compromises security, then it's not just doing what they say it's doing. Surely you can't just say "oh and our liabilities are limited to $5" with out full disclosure of _exactly_ what your CD is doing?

 

[Juice]

hold on, can you just say that though?

if the program seriously compromises security, then it's not just doing what they say it's doing. Surely you can't just say "oh and our liabilities are limited to $5" with out full disclosure of _exactly_ what your CD is doing?

It doesn't matter. EULA's rarely hold up in court at all, since they cover so much ass it's a joke.

 

[yoopoo]

Sony's rookit software comes from this company http://www.first4internet.com

They're british, btw.

 

[DCharlie]

those british bastards!

24,000 CDs with this protection on Amazon.com... eek.