Sony DRM is worse than you might think
DO NOT BUY CDs from Sony/BMG or Universal.
Apparently, any CD labeled “Contents Enhanced and Protected” actually contains malicious software (a rootkit) which can cause considerable harm to your computer. How bad is the problem? Over 24,000 CDs have this. Rootkits are typically used by hackers, viruses, spyware, etc. to hide themselves. In this case, the Sony/BMG rootkit hides any files that start with $sys$. On top of that, it shows up as “Plug and Play Device Manager” inside the Windows Process Explorer — another tactic used by hackers.
According to This Week in Tech:
The Sony/BMG DRM rootkit was first discovered by F-Secure and widely publicized by Mark Russinovich of Sysinternals in his blog.
If you attempt to remove the rootkit, you will lose access to your CD-ROM drive! Unbelievable.
Sony is not really helping, either. They released a “patch” that basically unhides their software. It doesn’t actually remove it. On top of that, the software was poorly written in the first place, causing any infected system to become unstable (blue screens). Way to go Sony! This sure does encourage people to buy more CDs. Keep it up! Thanks for infecting thousands of people’s PCs. Sony has now enabled any hacker to easily conceal abusive software.
What’s even more bassackwards is the fact that the person who discovered the rootkit actually broke the law. According to the DMCA, it is illegal to circumvent copy protection, which is exactly what he did to discover the rootkit in the first place.
To test your machine for rootkits, use Sysinternals’ Rootkit Revealer or F-Secure’s Backlight.
How else can you prevent this? Every time you put a CD or DVD into your PC, hold down the shift key. This prevents any program from auto-running. What else to do? Don’t buy any CD that says it’s copy protected. Don’t buy Sony/BMG or Universal CDs.