Sony should be made to pay each individual that it has put at risk by secretly distributing its rootkit for the total amount it costs to have a professional computer technician remove the rootkit completely, and a reasonable amount in addition for inconveniencing the computer owner.

For now, Microsoft recommends that users "do not install software from CDs that are known to include the rootkit."

I like how MS "Recommends" that users dont install the rootkit software...AKA all 05 Sony CD's. Im sorry but i dont believe that MS is cleaning up Sonys mess from the kindness of their hearts...

Sony: Thanks Microsoft!

M$: No problem Sony! But hey...How about you drop out of the console race?

Sony: HAHAHA!

M$: Ok Ok Ok...How about you Drop out of the Next Gen DVD Race and just let HD-DVD Win???

Sony: Alright, We'll help you drop out of the DVD Race and let Blu-Ray win.

M$: NO no no! I didn't say that!

Sony: Pwn'd!!!!

LOL. I was just kidding guys, this was nothing than a mere joke...don't eat me.

I'm sorry. You're just not funny.

When would the music industry learn that it is at war not just with the pusic pirates but also with the Software industry. It has been trying to defeat the pirates by winning monetary judgements against them. But Music Industry has not suceeded. Now it is trying to deter the pirates through the root kits. The software industry has prevented the music industry from getting the speciakl Laws enacted to defeat the pirates. It has failed only because the powerful software lobby would not allow it. Now the software industry has taken up the task of nullefying the Music Industry's root kit attempt.

There is only one way of stopping the pirates and that is through the redevelopment of the internet infrastructure as discussed at http://www.newerawisp.blogspot.com/

I think you missed it by a mile!

I think what MS has done is great, but they shouldn't stop there. It really isn't for them to fix, but they have just made themselves look better for doing so and they should be commended. But they shouldn't stop there.

What Sony is/has done is no different than what spyware and adware have been doing for some time. Some spyware and adware do not come with uninstallation programs, and those that claim have one don't work when you try to uninstall. Very few do. Why is it that then Abbot and EFF are only targeting Sony and not the many other software/programmers that are doing the same.

I think that Sony has a right to protect their investments, and if in removing a protection inadvertantly corrupts the system, should take steps in correcting. If their DRM was intentionally designed to corrupt such system files, then every PC owner that is confronted with the problem should be able to have them pay for the fix.

However, what are the spyware and adware companies protecting? Their software that you are trying to remove. I can see Sony trying to sue if Microsoft were to remove it. Symantec tried doing something similar a few months ago and they were attacked by ad companies(Hotbar) for doing so. The claimed they had rights too. There is quite a battle going on in our PC - right under our noses. Sometimes we don't even know it is happening until circumstances like this.

Sony's intentions need to be clarified and brought to the surface before Abbott and EFF take action. I do see both sides of the argument and do not wish software to be loaded onto my system that I am not informed about or have a right to remove if so desired, but if I am to participate in illegal activity, it sort of serves me right. The DRM, by itself, is harmless. It is only in that its protection from deletion there are holes. Both in that it cannot be removed and that others are hiding their software behind it.

It is sad that you cannot put even a music CD into your PC now without something being installed.

They do DRM. They aren't going to remove someone else's DRM. That screams lawsuit. Microsoft need to tread lightly.

I am almost choking on my beer but... thanks Microsoft :-)

But come on Bill Gates, you can bash Sony a bit harder than this! How about something to REMOVE the rootkit?

From the Article: "The tool removes the cloaking and a potentially dangerous ActiveX control, but not Sony's DRM."

It does remove the rootkit... it does not remove the DRM manager itself, however, because that is not the piece that causes the security problem.

Legally, it would be murky water to go beyond what they do. It's fine if they're removing security risks/threats to their own software, but to flat out remove the DRM would be akin to a company releasing a program that removes the Product Activation requirement of Windows.

The question is whether it replaces or compromises any system files or operations. They could legally, I am sure, claim that upon uninstallation (A normal Windows function), it jeapordizes system integrity, and thus they are obligated, or at the least within their rights, to offer the custoemr a way to remove the fault.

There's no other (easy) way to remove it.

It has no uninstall and requires services and registry editing to remove it.
Anyone without a great deal of knowledge in how Windows works would not be able to remove it.

Everyone should be able to remove programs that were installed without permission.
It is akin to spyware and someone needs to make an uninstall for it.
(Not Sony though - that would make more issues than it would create! Many, many more security holes...!)

Sorry if I was being a bit flippant. I posted my immediate reaction to the news.

Sony seems unconcerned about its sneaky software interfering with other people's products (such as PC CD players). Microsoft issuing code that interferes with a Sony product seems fair play to me, given that Sony is playing dirty with its customers. However, the legal waters are murky and I can (sort of) understand Microsoft holding off.

I confess I have been bashing Sony recently, and I'd like to see Microsoft bash Sony, as Sony's recent activities have annoyed me a lot. Someone as powerful as Microsoft can step in and make a difference that it would take mere mortals much longer to achieve.

Beer? At 7:23AM?

lol

It would be nice for MS to include a "remove DRM" option, so people who don't want any of the Sony program on their computer can remove it all easily.
However it is good to see MS doing something about it.

I stand behind Microsoft, it is noble willing to clean up what Sony did wrong. It's not their fault a lot of holes are put open. Sony should suffer (lawsuits, pay fines) and MS should not be attacked over this!

www.snowball.be

I applaud MS for resolving the issue created by someone else. I've always stood behind MS as a software vendor.

The people who down MS all the time and say how much they hate them should think twice while waiting for their download to finish. If MS is bad and evil then why not choose to live in Sony's hell? I think you get the point.

Microsoft is NOT responsible to clean out other peoples mess. Their responsibility ends at securing the IE for this matter.

Stop bashing Microsoft for not removing the whole software. I'm sure if they did remove the whole thing, people would bash them and say "So now windowsupdate is allowed to delete stuff on my harddrive."

...I mean come'on, cut the guys some slack, they did a good enough job to disable it.

Good enough, yes. But they could giove us the option, no? And of all the people able to do such a thing, one would think MS might.

I think that if MS removed the Sony DRM, Sony would sue MS for bypassing their DRM solution, thus propagating piracy and costing them millions in lost revenue. MS did what they could legally do, and that's remove the parts of Sony's DRM program that maliciously left the computer vulnerable. I am not the biggest fan of label-forced DRM, but hey, in this day in age, a company has to protect their product...its the methods at which they do that comes into question, not the intent.

I agree. As said earlier, the rootkit is a security threat, but the DRM is in a very gray area. Even with it not having an uninstall option, remember neither does IE or DirectX--so MS would look like hypocrites if they removed the DRM for that reason alone.

But removal of sofwtare not bundled with the OS ruining the OS? Nah, Microsoft could get by that easily.

Removal of non-bundled software should not harm system integrity. Microsoft could easily beat them down if they decided to bring it to court.

I totally agree. No matter what Microsoft does--people bashes them.

Granted I'm not a MS fanboy but I think MS deserves more respect than they currently recieve.

Nice to see SOMEONE helping clean up the DRM mess left on people's computers. If only the job was fully done .-.

Santa came early, but he forgot to leave the presents :P

Nice try Microsoft, but decloaking is only half the problem. You still need to help us remove it.

No, Microsoft does not have to do squat.
Sony is the one who >has< to do something.
MS simply did the right thing.

You seem to forget removing the driver renders CD drives useless.

No one has a way to harmlessly remove it without very careful system tweaking.

Exactly.

You'd think though, that of all people, Microsoft, who wrote the OS, might be able to find a way... Anything would be preferable to a format/reinstall to most users...even a safe-mode fix.

Rock on!

MS is the shiznit. :)

Funny how Sony can't even get their own software off of a PC. LOL

Sounds like something one of my friends would say. Nevertheless, we black folk have to watch out for one another so LOL.

Well done MS.

Well done.

Wow cool, imagine, MS cleaning up after other people.. Interesting..

They do it all the time: TVMedia crashing XP SP2, MS has a fix. Viruses? Spyware? Third party software, right? (e.g. third-party = "other people")

" Viruses? Spyware? Third party software, right?"
Nope. Onecare, and Windows Defender.

"Nope. Onecare, and Windows Defender."

That was my point! MS does cleanup third party software.

Sort of interesting I suppose, but MS has done a helluva lot more than anyone recently to fight against malware and those responsible for it. I'll be the first to admit I don't like everything about MS, but I've been very impressed with their anti malware/hacking/cracking/spyware initiatives. They're definitely trying hard to protect windows users.

i to have to say hat of to MS for fixing SONY's mess,

can't help wondering if SONY and MS maybe had talks first, better still maybe SONY went to MS for help on there HUGE screw up.

any way, again credit to MS on fixing someone's else's problem (but i still can't help feeling though that MS had a reason for helping, posibly a future deal happening with SONY,

i know consperiacy theory and all that, but still SONY is a big company, 1 helps them, then at some point 1 can call in the favour,

or at the very least, SONY has to love MS for a while for saving there HIDE.

I wouldn't be so conspiracy theory about this. MS is growing tired of companies compromising their security...something they've invested tons of money into in recent years. They don't want to bad press of yet another vulnerability in their flagship OS. They're doing all they can to promote their product as the safest and secure, and when something as innocent as playing a CD in your computer opens it up to malicious attacks and other harsh realities, MS has to step up and play defensive...its their product.

And to further prove there isn't any "in bed with" dealings, look at how they reacted to Google fixing that little IE flaw with their site. Google fixed it, MS thanked them. Not threatening them for having faulty code in the first place. Not telling them to mind their own. But actually lauding them for doing something proactive to help keep Windows secure. MS has changed from the big business with no heart to one that actually wants to erase the stigma of insecure, buggy software.