Sony to Recall Rootkit CDs

busterkeaton wrote on 11/16/2005, 4:35 AM
Music publisher
yielding to consumer concern, said on Wednesday it was recalling music CDs containing copy-protection software that acts like virus software and hides deep inside a computer.

"We share the concerns of consumers regarding discs with XCP content-protected software, and, for this reason, we are instituting a consumer exchange programme and removing all unsold CDs with this software from retail outlets," Sony BMG said in an statement.

The XCP software used by Sony BMG, which was developed by British software developers First4Internet, leaves the back door open for malicious online hackers.

Sony BMG, in a separate statement, also announced it would distribute a program to remove the software from a PC where it jeopardizes security.

"We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause our customers. Details of this (recall) program will be announced shortly," Sony BMG said.

Comments

farss wrote on 11/16/2005, 4:45 AM
I'd buy up any of those CDs if you still can, they're going to be worth a lot of money in years to come, try to get the whole set.

One could have them framed with a suitably inscribed plaque.
Bob.
ibliss wrote on 11/16/2005, 6:36 AM
Is there a list of affected CDs anywhere? I don't think I have any, but I'd love to get rid of them if I do!
JJKizak wrote on 11/16/2005, 8:58 AM
Some of them were listed in the paper business section this morning.

JJK
Alex_Talionas wrote on 11/16/2005, 9:26 AM
Here's a list that I've seen of 20 identified CD's. I've also read other reports of a total of 47 CDs if you take into account other subsidaries of SonyBMG.

The list of CD's so far are:
Nothing Is Sound. Switchfoot
Unwritten [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
Natasha Bedingfield

Ride [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Shelly Fairchild
12 Songs [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Neil Diamond
Touch [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Amerie
Bloom Remix Album [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
Sarah McLachlan
Kasabian [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Kasabian
The Essential Pete Seeger [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Pete Seeger
Jeru [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Gerry Mulligan
Times Like These [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Buddy Jewell,
Bob Brookmeyer & Friends [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Bob Brookmeyer
Healthy In Paranoid Times [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
Our Lady Peace
Cautivo [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [DUALDISC]
Chayanne
The Invisible Invasion [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Coral, The Coral
Defined [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Amici Forever
Suspicious Activity [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
The Bad Plus
Manhattan Symphonie [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Dexter Gordon
Phantoms [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Acceptance
On Ne Change Pas [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Celine Dion

Get Right with the Man [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Van Zant
To Love Again [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
Chris Botti
Life [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [DUALDISC]
Ricky Martin
The Essential Dion [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Dion
Faso Latido [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
A Static Lullaby
Change It All [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Goapele

Susie Suh [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Susie Suh

My Very Special Guests [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
George Jones

Broken Valley [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Life of Agony
Silver's Blue [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Horace Silver
Z [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
My Morning Jacket
The 60s [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
The Dead 60s
busterkeaton wrote on 11/16/2005, 9:30 AM
I felt I was kind of unaffected by this, since I didn't plan to buy any CDs in next couple of weeks and also the stuff I buy tends to be on smaller labels, but then I realized that SONY BMG is putting out the 30th Anniversary of Born to Run remastered with two concert DVDs.

If the rootkit is on that package, expect this story to be taken to whole 'nother level as far as exposure goes.
busterkeaton wrote on 11/16/2005, 9:35 AM
The Essential Pete Seeger [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Pete Seeger

It's always those Pete Seeger fans who ruin it for the rest of us. First by playing Pete Seeger records and now this.

I thought it was really interesting in the recent Bob Dylan documentary that Pete Seeger had the most reactionary response to Dylan going electric at the Newport Folk Festival, he wanted to chop the power cable with an axe.