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Block CD Rootkits

Recently it was revealed that Sony music is trying to copy-protect their new CDs by installing software on your computer without your permission, and making it impossible for you to remove it. Their software hides in such a way that Windows itself can’t see it, so you can never remove the files.

A good solution for preventing this is to disable CD Autorun. Normally Autorun is used in Windows to automatically launch a program when a cd is installed. So if you buy a new game and put in the cd, a small program on the cd is automatically executed without you clicking on it.

Sony uses this to install their DRM (Digital Rights Management) software on your computer. Simply putting the cd into your computer is enough, it installs without asking you.

To prevent this, you can disable autorun. Popular Technology.net has a simple guide to doing this. Check out Popular Technology.net: Block CD/DVD DRM and Rootkits Easily

2 Comments so far

  1. Anonymous November 11th, 2005 6:42 pm

    I saw on the news that a glitch in Sony’s software leave’s your computer vulnerable to hackers and that there is now a class-action suit against them

  2. Anonymous December 10th, 2005 8:35 am

    They pulled all the cd’s in the stores from the shelves, with the software on it.

    They are fools, Copy Protection will never work. Its against the laws of nature.

    The only way they can protect the content, is to either never give it to anyone, or make the file so it will never play.
    Then what good is the file.

    cat

    My 8 year old nephew figured it out, all by himself. Jumper your speaker output to the mic input, and record.

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