Can't buy the new Neil Diamond album

[Raeven Skye]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

Thanks for posting this, Brian.

Of course, it's not really much of a solution. They're not actually discontinuing their use of the software, nor or they actually removing it from people's computers - they're just making it visible to the relatively small number of people who are up in arms about this.

So I think I'll stick with boycotting Sony products for the time being

I agree...and not that i'm buying a lot of cd's these days...i'm still going to be very careful!

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by Raeven Skye

I agree...and not that i'm buying a lot of cd's these days...i'm still going to be very careful!

I think it's only Sony that's doing this, although there might be one other record company on board the evil train. So as long as you steer clearo f Sony products, you should be fine.

[estranged4life]

Originally Posted by hayley

That's what he gets for playing that crap ass Van Zant CD.

so I didnt have to

Looked at the back of the recently purchased "Montgomery Gentry: Something to be Proud of-The Best of 1999-2005" cd and here is what the compatibility list states (Released under the Columbia label through Sony BMG Entertainment) :


Compatible with:

Playback: CD/DVD/PC/Mac PC: WIndows 98SE/ME/2000SP4/XP, Pentium II, IE 5.0, DirectX 9.0, 128 MB RAM Mac: OK

Ripping: PC: Windows Media Player 9.0, Mac: OK

Portable Devices: Secure Windows Media, Sony Walkman digital music players

Limited Copies

[estranged4life]

Viruses exploit Sony CD anti-piracy scheme

Hackers use copy-protection software to hide in PCs

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A controversial copy-protection program that automatically installs when some Sony BMG audio CDs are played on personal computers is now being targeted by malicious software that exploits the antipiracy technology's ability to hide files.

The Trojan horse programs - three have so far been identified by anti-virus companies - are named so as to trigger the cloaking feature of Sony's XCP2 antipiracy technology, security experts said Thursday.

"This could be the advanced guard," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at the security firm Sophos. "We wouldn't be surprised at all if we saw more malware that exploits what Sony has introduced."

The copy protection program is included on about 20 popular music titles, including releases by Van Zant and The Bad Plus, and disclosure of its existence has raised the ire of many in the computing community, who consider it to constitute spyware.

Sony BMG Music Entertainment and the company that developed the software, First 4 Internet, have claimed that the technology poses no security threat. Still, Sony posted a patch last week that uncloaks files hidden by the software.

On Thursday, Sony released a statement "deeply regretting any disruption that this may have caused." It also said it was working with Symantec and other firms to ensure any content-protection technology "continues to be safe."

Neither Sony spokesman John McKay nor First 4 Internet CEO Mathew Gilliat-Smith returned messages seeking additional comment.

Windows expert Mark Russinovich discovered the hidden copy-protection technology on Oct. 31 and posted his findings on his Web log. He noted that the license agreement that pops up said a small program would be installed, but it did not specify it would be hidden.

Manual attempts to remove the software can disable the PC's CD drive. Sony offers an uninstallation program, but consumers must request it by filling out two forms on the Internet.

"What they did was not intentionally malicious," Cluley said. "If anything, it was slightly inept."

The copy-protection software, which Sony says is a necessary "speed bump" to limit how many times a CD is copied, only works on Windows-based PCs. Users of Macintosh and Linux computers are not restricted.

The viruses also only target Windows-based machines.

The infection opens up a backdoor, which could be used to steal personal information, launch attacks on other computers and send spam, antivirus companies said.

Sony also is facing legal headaches. On Nov. 1, Alexander Guevara filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeking class action staus. He claims Sony's actions constituted fraud, false advertising, trespass and violated state and federal laws barring malware and computer tampering.

His attorney, Alan Himmelfarb, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

"Entertainment companies often complain that fans refuse to respect their intellectual property rights. Yet tools like this refuse to respect our own personal property rights," said Jason Schultz, a staff attorney for the Electronic Freedom Foundation. "Sony's tactics here are hypocritical, in addition to being a security threat."

[xxxmx]

i hope they get taken for a ride. companies need to see that there are no upsides to being snarky.

i was pissed that i couldn't get an album THAT I PURCHASED LEGALLY to copy to my computer or load to my mp3 player FOR MY PERSONAL NON FILE-SHARING USE, and it's not a sony disc. does that mean that every company is doing this?

[trackaghost]

My advice to anyone putting a CD into your computer that you're not sure about, is to keep the Shift key pressed while it's loading. This will stop the CD putting anything on your computer you don't want.

Here's a list of copy-protected CDs...

http://ukcdr.org/issues/cd/bad/

[xxxmx]

Originally Posted by trackaghost

My advice to anyone putting a CD into your computer that you're not sure about, is to keep the Shift key pressed while it's loading. This will stop the CD putting anything on your computer you don't want.

Here's a list of copy-protected CDs...

http://ukcdr.org/issues/cd/bad/

thanks for posting that, here's the link a US site:

known bad cds

on edit, the site hasn't been updated in a while. i can't find anything newer. anyone?

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by xxxmx

i hope they get taken for a ride. companies need to see that there are no upsides to being snarky.

i was pissed that i couldn't get an album THAT I PURCHASED LEGALLY to copy to my computer or load to my mp3 player FOR MY PERSONAL NON FILE-SHARING USE, and it's not a sony disc. does that mean that every company is doing this?

Not every company. I think there are just one or two other besides Sony are starting to use this kind of technology.

For their efforts, Sony is now being sued as part of a class action lawsuit! Let's hope it goes to court, or at the very least, Sony realizes it needs to extricate itself from this PR nightmare and quit it with the malware.