I looked at their site, and there's a link which says 'Click here to spend an hour with SunnComm'. I daren't click it in case it hijacks my computer and renders me powerless to look at anything else for 60 minutes.

I wouldnt put it past them. Bastards.

Oh, and apparently Sony's windows rootkit has now been exploited by three known viruses (so far). Its actually quite heartening to see DRM getting bad press... hopefully it'll stop this kind of invasive crap from occouring in the future. I mean.. its almost like Sony BMG are *trying* to encourage us to pirate their music instead. (Maybe they're secretly in league with the RIAA trying to create more people to sue... tinfoil hats at the ready!).

Hmm.. a rather meandering comment. I'll stop now.

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Interesting.. SunnComm's brochure on their DRM software carries the 'Compact Disc Digital Audio' logo :

http://www.sunncomm.com/Brochure/SunncommPage2.htm

Thats funny... I thought Philips refused to allow the CD-DA logo to be used on content-protected CDs (because of the data tracks, the error-correction on the actual music is reduced, thus not meeting Philips stringent quality control).

Wonder what Philips would have to say about that...

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Sony BMG, you won't get anymore money from me.

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Mungler:

Philips will only not allow the logo when the copy protection scheme violates the CD audio standard by messing with the CD's TOC, etc. These schemes are entirely passive in their nature, not requiring that any additional software be installed.

The DRM schemes at issue here are solely on the data track, which do not violate the CD audio standard in any way to my knowledge. Instead, they generally seem to rely on the autoplay feature of the OS, which allows them to install software on the host machine that enforces the DRM. At least in the Mac OS X case, it can't surrepticiously install software without your knowledge, hence the username/password request, unlike Windows, where not only are you basically running as the equivalent of root, but with just about everything enabled.

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Mike:

I thought the issue was that the data track took up so much space that the error correction had to be reduced, thus breaking the red book format. I'm unsure whether this is strictly accurate, but AFAIK Philips refuse to certify ANY disc which breaks the Red Book (CD-DA) or Blue Book (Red Book CD-DA session plus Yellow Book data session) standards.

I guess if these discs were standard Blue Book format (ie a combination of a Red Book-compliant music session, and Yellow Book-compliant data session), and the music session is fully Red-Book compliant, then Philips would certify the disk and allow the CD-DA logo. As this logo is NOT present on the Sony discs, I can only assume that the CD audio session is NOT Red Book compliant.

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Anyone noticed the 'customer reviews' on amazon for the CD which broke the sysintenals dude's machine?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00092ZM02/qid=1131718136/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-3885593-5148029?v=glance&s=music

quite amusing...

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I like the bit by one reviewre "this CD contains a DRM virus" :D

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this is bad...very bad

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This is infuriating! I can't believe these companies are stooping so low! I agree with Leo Laporte in one of his TWiT/Security Now podcasts: we should all hold a Sony CD burning party. We dont really know what these extensions can do to OS X, but the rootkits they're using on Windows literally open the door for hackers of ANY skill level to EASILY install malicious software on your machine. It's unbelievably irresponsible and a ridiculous way of *attempting* to handle the *problem* of file sharing. This is not a solution, and consumers aren't going to stand for it - suing Sony is just the beginning. These companies need to learn a lesson, and they need to join the rest of us in the 21st century.

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So the era of "no viruses/trojans on the Mac" has come to an end, eh? And it was SONY that did it!?

Crazy stuff. I suggest anyone who wants Sony music check out P2P networks. You're less likely to a computer-breaking stealth app that way. :)

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Sony can go f*** them selves.

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allofmp3.com with no regrets! Also, these cds can be ripped on an 0S 9 machine (not "classic", but booting into 9) presumably... Similarly Linux can probably be used as a workaround. I can imagine setting up an mp3 ripping partition. BUT I can't imagine giving these idiots a cent of my money to get their cds in the 1st place.

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From The Register:
"It is not believed that the two extensions incorporate the rootkit that is causing such controversy becuase of its effect on Windows machines."

Technically, it's not a port of the same Windows version, it's different.

I don't think this will open up virii and spyware for the Mac. Apple will be damned if they would just let Sony open the door for the virii.

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I'm encouraging acts of civil disobedience on my site - please look. I think everyone with a website should host a non-DRM .mp3 from one of Sony's DRMed CDs until they make some sort of meaningful reparations.

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Sign this petition to stop Sony:
http://www.petitiononline.com/bcsony/petition.html

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Mungler, the audio data on CDs do not have ECC. Audio data fill 2352 bytes sectors. At 44khz, that 1/75th of a second. if a sector has read errors, chances are, you won't hear it.

Data tracks have 2048 byte of data, and use the remaining 2352-2048 for ECC, since it's quite important that the bits read are what they are meant to be.

VCD, which contain MPEGI video data do have a filesystem, contain files, but don't have ECC (it's a space vs reliability choice)

On related note, Sony sucks. They have completely lost it. It's just like they spent the last 10 years under a rock and suddenly wonder why the uproar with their ciminal-like behavior.

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Sony didn't employ SunnComm, BMG did. Since the merger over a year ago, the two have continued to use the various copy protection schemes... in some cases former Sony-only labels are using SunnComm, opposed to F4i. While, conversely, some former BMG-only lables are using the new F4i copy protection, which is PC only, at the moment. SunnComm makes copy protection for both Mac and PC platforms.

Before making err comments, do some research... just my opinion.

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