Sony BMG gets sued over copy-protection "spyware"

[Andylkl]

Sony BMG shoots itself in the foot while firing against music pirates

By SIMON AVERY
Friday, November 11, 2005

Sony BMG Music Entertainment's latest attempts to control music piracy have created a public relations fiasco for the company and grief for consumers who unknowingly opened their computers to hackers by playing Sony BMG CDs.

Sony BMG, a joint venture between Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG, has hidden software on customers' Windows-based PCs in a controversial effort to prevent them copying music CDs.

The strategy has drawn the wrath not only of privacy and consumer advocates, but also of security experts. Despite a claim by the company that the technology "does not compromise security," experts said yesterday the spyware has created a security breach that hackers have begun to exploit.

The code installs on a PC when a user inserts one of about 20 new music CDs and then clicks on a window that pops up to play the disc. The software is nearly invisible, avoiding detection of anti-virus programs, and it sends information back to the company about the user. The code is the same technology virus writers use to take over a PC.

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Bad things hide in PCs using Sony BMG software

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) — A computer security firm said Thursday it had discovered the first virus that uses music publisher Sony BMG's controversial CD copy-protection software to hide on PCs and wreak havoc.

Under a subject line containing the words "Photo approval," a hacker has mass-mailed the so-called Stinx-E trojan virus to British email addresses, British anti-virus firm Sophos says.

When recipients click on an attachment, they install malware, which may tear down a computer's firewall and give hackers access to a PC. The malware hides by using Sony BMG software that is also hidden — the software would have been installed on a computer when consumers played Sony's copy-protected music CDs.

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Copy-protection has always been about protection the interests of the record company, and ignores the interests of the consumers. It's high time one of the big four record lables gets sued for this, and the whole copy-protection idea threwn into the rubbish bin once and for all.

Now instead of wondering whether your copy-protected CD will work in your CD player or not, you now have to worry about spyware being planted from the record company to spy and wreak havoc on those who actually buy their original music albums! Really really really stupid, isn't it?