Anti-spyware tool attacks rootkit, kills CD drive.
An alert has been issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, warning that an anti-spyware product from
AOL
has a defect which blocks all access to the CD drive while trying to remove the rootkit planted by
Sony
‘s
XCP
copy-protection software
.
The anti-spyware part of the
AOL
Safety and Security Center
product is based on
CA
‘s
Pest Patrol
software, in which the bug has been fixed for some time; however, the patch has yet to make its way into the version provided by the web giants.
The Texas Attorney General, who along with many others is in the process of suing
Sony BMG
for releasing the rootkit, estimates 3.4 million CDs carrying the rootkit are still in circulation, despite a recall by
Sony
after the discovery of the tactic caused widespread outcry.
The Texan announcement, along with an FAQ about the
Sony
rootkit, can be seen
here
.
Find out more about fighting rootkits at the
Virus Bulletin conference
(11-13 October, Montréal), where Martin Overton (
IBM
) will present
his paper
‘Rootkits: risks, issues and prevention’.
See the full programme
here
or click
here to register now
.
Posted on 14 September 2006 by
Virus Bulletin
Leave a Reply