Sony CDs removed from library shelves

If you've been following the tech news over the past couple weeks, you may have heard some confusing stuff about programs included on Sony music CDs that can make your computer vulnerable to malicious takeover or even break your computer entirely. The gist of the story is that in order to protect their music from what they feel to be illicit copying, Sony included on certain CDs a program required to play the CD that can open vulnerabilities in your computer. This program affects Windows computers, according to present knowledge, but just today news was released that some Sony CDs also contain programs written for Mac operating systems although the impact of these have not yet been fully evaluated. The library has confirmed that none of the CDs in its collection are those that have been identified to date as containing this program. As a precaution, the library has also removed all Sony CDs from the shelves, pending clarification of their status. Those who have Sony CDs in their own collections may want to review the list of the identified affected CDs (more on identifying the CDs). If you may have played one of them on your computer or you are concerned whether you may have this program installed, you can run a quick test to see. If you indeed do have the program, you may want to consult a computer expert regarding its removal, since current analysis indicates that the "fix" being distributed by Sony causes further problems when it removes the program. In the meantime, it's probably a good idea to back up all of your important files, just in case you end up sustaining damage to your system. To learn more and to stay up to date on the news of this problem, try a google search on the terms "sony rootkit". Update: USAToday reports that Sony is pulling all of the affected CDs off the market and will offer exchanges to customers who have purchased them. Details on the exchange program are due to be released later this week. Further update (2/24/06): Final Sony page about the rootkit, what titles contain it, and how to update or uninstall the program. Similar programs are reported to be showing up on some DVDs as well, making this a topic to continue to follow in the news.