November 18th, 2005 After speaking to Gary today, he said he had read an article about the Sony DRM “rootkit” which made a very good point; namely, the software has all the classic symptoms of being malware, yet not one anti-virus, anti-spyware or software firewall package was (willing or) able to detect it.
Isn’t it strange that most of the major software vendors whose products are supposed to protect the man in the street from such threats are hesitant at best, and for the most part apprehensive to update their signature files to include the offering from Sony/First 4 Internet?
Apparently an interview with someone at Symantec about why their AntiVirus product did not detect and remove it said that they were worried about the implications of being the company responsible for allowing people to circumvent a DRM technology.
Even now, Symantec and F-Secure’s products will detect it but instead of removing it, they will provide a link to Sony’s website which contains instructions on how to uninstall it. Even Microsoft with their AntiSpyware/Defender software is still sitting patiently on the fence.
It looks like McAfee is the only major company to detect, remove and prevent reinstallation of this evil, evil thing.
Final word from current anti-Sony spokesperson, Mark Russinovich;
For its part, Sony says it has been responsive to the situation by posting removal instructions. But Mark Russinovich, who initially discovered the hidden DRM on his computer, disagrees. “The uninstall process Sony has put in place is on par with mainstream spyware and adware,” he says.
“First you have to go to Sony’s support site, guess that the uninstall information is in the FAQ, click on the uninstall link and then fill out a form with your email address and purchasing information, possibly adding yourself to Sony’s marketing lists in the process,” Russinovich explained.
“Without exaggeration I can say that I’ve analyzed virulent forms of spyware/adware that provide more straightforward means of uninstall.”
Word of the Day: Collusion
[Via: BetaNews]
