Skip Links

Network World

Paul McNamara

Sony settlement and Mr. Rootkit

By Paul McNamara on Tue, 05/23/06 - 9:53am.

Unless he's been fired already -- a not-unlikely scenario -- someone is walking around Sony today known as The Rootkit Guy (we'll use Guy in the non-gender-specific sense here). I mean that code didn't simply leap onto those CDs; someone thought it was a clever idea and made sure it got there. Has to be one of the classic "What the (bleep) were you thinking?" moments in modern history.
 
And you can't help but wonder how that someone is doing today as news emerges that Sony has settled a class-action lawsuit -- three, actually, combined into one -- that looks as though its going to cause Sony bean counters to pull their hair out by the rootkits. The agreement calls for those who purchased the CDs in question to receive their choice of a cash payment of $7.50 plus a free album download, or three album downloads.
 
We're talking about 15 million CD buyers.
 
If he is still at Sony, something tells me Rootkit Guy is eating lunch alone.

Tags
What is Tech Briefcase?
TechBriefcase is a new, free service where IT Professionals can Search, Store and Share IT white papers and content like this. Learn more
Bookmark content
Speed up your research efforts with content across the web.
Search and Store
Find the white papers you need. Create folders for any topic.
View Anywhere
Open your briefcase on your iPhone, tablet or desktop. Share with colleagues.
Don't have an account yet?
About Buzzblog
 

Most Discussed Posts