Rootkits are a-ok by Sony

NPR recently interviewed Thomas Hesse, president of Sony BMG’s Global Digital Business division, regarding the DRM scheme Sony BMG is using on some of their music CDs.

Mr. Hesse had this to say about their rootkits:

“Most people I think don’t even know what a root kit is so why should they care about it”

That comment shows a complete lack of understanding regarding computer security issues. It’s not “most people” you have to worry about, it’s the bad actors, who are the ones who WOULD know about exploiting the security hole created by Sony. “Most people”, precisely because they don’t know what a rootkit is, would never know how to protect themselves against exploits helped by Sony’s cluelessness.

Here’s further evidence of Sony’s cluelessness. Mark Curtis’ daughter bought a Sony BMG music cd from Walmart. The CD does not play on any music player, including stereo equipment, the family owns. The DRM software is causing the family computer to BSOD immediately after bootup. Walmart is refusing a refund. Sony is saying to install a patch to get rid of the DRM program. How would one do that, if the computer doesn’t boot up any more?

-TPP