Extended Copy Protection (XCP aka Sony Rootkit)

In November of 2005, Sony BMG Music Entertainment was in the headlines because of the dangerous consequences of their decision to place First 4 Internet Ltd's XCP technology on selected audio CD's. (See Rob's December 12 Sony's Rootkit article). The software would load onto a person's hard drive when an XCP protected audio CD was inserted into their PC. The purpose of the software was to limit the number of copies that CD owners could make. The technology used rootkit hiding techniques that could be used by other hackers to enter a PC without the owner's permission. As a result of the pressure from the media and consumers, Sony has stopped distributing and using the XCP technology.

Does everyone remember a few years ago the wacko guy that was blowing up mailboxes in the midwest? What I remember most of all is that suddenly everyone was afraid to open their mailboxes. The ramifications were huge. Millions of businesses rely on the US mail to deliver marketing materials, invoices, and other important communications. What would have happened if the US mail became unreliable?

Take a look at worldwide regional PC technology trends. The charts below show processor, memory, drives, operating system and broadband connectivity trends across regions of the world.

CPU Clock Speeds by Global Region