Thanks to a posting here by member Alex Thyl, we learn that this morning Sony has taken another step to help those customers that are saddled with the infamous rootkit. It appears they have just uploaded a program called XCP-aurora. By downloading this "service pack" and running it on your system, it will supposedly undo the damage by removing the driver for the cloaking mechanism that can hide files from anti virus scanners. Or at least this is the impression we have at the moment, since we are not afflicted with this malware personally and cannot verify the effectiveness of this new tool. Therfore, we are not recommending it, just passing along the information.
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November 8, 2005 - This Service Pack removes the cloaking technology component that has been recently discussed in a number of articles published regarding the XCP Technology used on SONY BMG content protected CDs. This component is not malicious and does not compromise security. However to alleviate any concerns that users may have about the program posing potential security vulnerabilities, this update has been released to enable users to remove this component from their computers. Please note, Service Pack 2a is a maintenance release designed to reduce the file size of Service Pack 2. It includes all previous fixes found in Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2. |
"This component is not malicious and does not compromise security." Well, I beg to differ after reading articles from security experts and also anti virus companies. Some may say this is too little, too late and we can even suspect that the so-called tempest in a teacup as First 4 Internet and Sony would like us to believe, is not nearly over.
You can visit the Sony/BMG page here for the downloads if you have purchased one of these Cd's. Come to think of it, it seems prudent that now, not only should Sony be forced to recall these afflicted Cd's, but they should also post a listing of those products containing the malware. This would let the consumer know if there is a need to even run any more executables from Sony by reading said list, and also so that they can avoid purchasing these products in the first place. At least then it's a buyer beware situation. Right now, we are not sure which music Cd's carry this payload. Possibly, the best thing is to avoid all these Sony/BMG music Cd products until they are forthcoming with the information. If you have seen such a listing, please share it in the reactions below!
While your at it, why not visit this link here in the CD Freaks Living Room and vote in our poll to say whether you think Sony needs to pull these controversial DRM products from the shelves. Whereas we can't realistically expect legislation to protect us from corporate decisions such as these, if enough people continue to keep the topic alive and then eventually a recall is performed, then the companies will think twice before unleashing such malware in the future. Recalls cost money and this is something corporations understand.
Source: Sony
