[Dixielandjazz] RIAA threat and Sony bigger threat

[David Livingston]

Robert, I remember when that story broke. What Sony's software installed on your machine is called a "Rootkit."

from Wikipedia:
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 A rootkit is a program (or combination of several programs) designed to take fundamental control (in Unix terms "root" access, in Windows terms "Administrator" access) of a computer system, without authorization by the system's owners and legitimate managers. Access to the hardware (ie, the reset switch) is rarely required as a rootkit is intended to seize control of the operating system running on the hardware. Typically, rootkits act to obscure their presence on the system through subversion or evasion of standard operating system security mechanisms. Often, they are also Trojans as well, thus fooling users into believing they are safe to run on their systems. Techniques used to accomplish this can include concealing running processes from monitoring programs, or hiding files or system data from the operating system.[1]

Rootkits may have originated as regular, though emergency, applications, intended to take control of an unresponsive system, but in recent years have been largely malware to help intruders gain access to systems while avoiding detection. Rootkits exist for a variety of operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X[2] [3] , Linux and Solaris. Rootkits often modify parts of the operating system or install themselves as drivers or kernel modules, depending on the internal details of an operating system's mechanisms
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 If I remember correctly, Sony was ridiculed so much and so publicly, that they supposedly changed their copy protection.


"ROBERT R. CALDER" <serapion at btinternet.com> wrote: A couple of years ago I was sent some sonycolumbia CDs for review, with legal threats and software which (rather than my installed stuff) played the CD, which could I found by accident also be played by my own software. There was actually some reference to anyone who bought these CDs being able to burn, toast or otherwise reproduce a limited number of copies of any of these CDs. This might seem to have been an advance on banning, but I never tried. 

What Sony apparently did not know was that the complex software also installed a software device which which had more applications than were intended. Once some interloping viruses, spyware  etc. had slipped aboard a computer they could interact with this device and hide themselves.   Ouch! 
CDs which download anything on to my computer I now review with some inconvenience by playing them on a separate player. But I had put one of these things into my computer, and when I booted up I kept being told that a certain operating file was missing. I searched for this, and I found in my security system two files with the name of the one missing. 
While I don't know whether this interloper was a by-product of the sony software, I use my computer for non-musical paid work, and wonder how many working hours I could sue sony for if it was!  The problem disappeared when I replaced the security system, but then it recurred.  At which point a friend offered me the one I am now using. Phew!  
  
       
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