Sony recalls dangerous rootkit CDs

From ZDNet News: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5954154.html?tag=zdnn.alert

"Record label Sony BMG Music Entertainment said Tuesday that it will recall millions of CDs that, if played in a consumer's PC disc drive, will expose the computer to serious security risks.

"Anyone who has purchased one of the CDs, which include southern rockers Van Zant, Neil Diamond's latest album, and more than 18 others, can exchange the purchase, Sony said. The company added that it would release details of its CD exchange program "shortly."

"Sony reported that over the past eight months it shipped more than 4.7 million CDs with the so-called XCP copy protection. More than 2.1 million of those discs have been sold."

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an organization dedicated to protecting civil liberties in our networked world, has published a list of some of the CDs that Sony intentionally infected with the DRM rootkit "protection" (not a complete list):

Trey Anastasio, Shine (Columbia)
Celine Dion, On ne Change Pas (Epic)
Neil Diamond, 12 Songs (Columbia)
Our Lady Peace, Healthy in Paranoid Times (Columbia)
Chris Botti, To Love Again (Columbia)
Van Zant, Get Right with the Man (Columbia)
Switchfoot, Nothing is Sound (Columbia)
The Coral, The Invisible Invasion (Columbia)
Acceptance, Phantoms (Columbia)
Susie Suh, Susie Suh (Epic)
Amerie, Touch (Columbia)
Life of Agony, Broken Valley (Epic)
Horace Silver Quintet, Silver's Blue (Epic Legacy)
Gerry Mulligan, Jeru (Columbia Legacy)
Dexter Gordon, Manhattan Symphonie (Columbia Legacy)
The Bad Plus, Suspicious Activity (Columbia)
The Dead 60s, The Dead 60s (Epic)
Dion, The Essential Dion (Columbia Legacy)
Natasha Bedingfield, Unwritten (Epic)
Ricky Martin, Life (Columbia)

The EFF article gives instructions with photos that show you how to spot the infected CDs.

Crossing Boundaries

While living in Ashland, Kentucky from 2001 to 2003, I used to listen to WOUB-FM out of Athens, Ohio. My favorite time to listen was from 7-10 p.m. while Mark Hellenberg hosted the program Crossing Boundaries. The show was primarily responsible for my change in musical direction. The music I heard on that program comprises a big part of my current playlist--music that is seldom, if ever, heard on Top 40 radio. It had a profound influence on my songwriting as well; I realized that a song doesn't have to be commercial to have a serious impact and that, well, if I like it, it's good. Who can argue with a playlist featuring artists such as Trey Anastasio, Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin, Bruce Cockburn, Death Cab for Cutie, Josh Rouse, and Jerry Douglas, to name a few? Check out today's playlist. If this description (from the WOUB web site) appeals to you, then you should check out the feed:

In this day and age, when a handful of corporate giants own more and more stations, fewer contemporary artists on small, independent labels outside the pop mainstream are afforded airplay--especially if those artists appeal to a more mature audience. Crossing Boundaries provides a music source for adults, an audience that is looking for new music that addresses grown-up issues and reflects their eclectic tastes--music that is seldom heard on commercial radio.

The program presents genre-crossing music from rock, folk, blues, soul, international, and Americana. Although Crossing Boundaries focuses on today’s newer releases, you’ll also hear some old favorites and some classic recordings from years past. And, unlike commercial radio, through the week you’ll get to hear more than one selection from any given new album.

'Nuff said. Go listen to it!

The Talk on Indie-Music.com

"There's no need to analyze it -- this is classic punk rock in every respect."

Read my review of The Sinners of Daughters, The Talk's latest release, on Indie-Music.com.

Read more of my Indie-Music.com reviews.