New Sony rootkit mess confirmed
p2pnet news | Security:- Ethically impaired Sony, still reeling from the continuing aftershock of one rootkit spyware scandal, is now caught up in another.
The seriously beleaguered company now admits reports of what it’s calling a “security flaw” in some of its software that could leave PCs open to attack by hackers accurate.
Mark Russinovich and F-Secure separately caught Sony red-handed secretly installing dangerous DRM spyware in the computers of people who’d bought its music CDs and now Sony F-Secure has caught Sony the second time.
The latest difficulty affects software packaged with memory sticks.
It was developed by a third-party, the BBC goes on.
“Sony said it was conducting an internal investigation into the problem and would offer a fix ‘by mid-September’.”
Adds the story:
The flaw affects three models of Sony’s MicroVault USB sticks with fingerprint readers.
Security flaws were also discovered on Sony BMG CDs in 2005
Although the spokesperson said that the models have now been discontinued, they are still available to purchase through several websites.
The program uses “virus-like techniques to create a hidden directory on a computer’s hard drive,” adds the BBC.
Also See:
continuing aftershock – New Sony rootkit scandal?, August 29, 2007
BBC – Sony confirms security problem, September 3, 2007
September 3rd, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Why do they always have to learn the hard way?
September 3rd, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Actually, they don’t learn at all. They don’t have to. We keep on buying their stuff, or some of us do.
THAT’s the real problem.
Cheers!
September 4th, 2007 at 2:50 am
I hope they get a class action out of this…because THIS TIME they have a history of doing this before Now a judge can look at that history and make a tough ruling for Sony based on that.
I do not see Sony getting out of a lawsuit this time.