Spyware Detail

Summary

The only way to play an XCP DRM Protected Sony BMG music CD on a computer is through Music Player, a media player provided on the CD. Other players will not recognize the CD as an audio CD, and will instead try to open the files on it as a data CD. When launched from the CD, Music Player sends information back to Sony BMG, indicating which album is being played.

See Also

XCP.Sony.Rootkit XCP.Sony.Rootkit.Patch XCP.Sony.SP2

Category

Spyware:  Any product that employs a user's Internet connection in the background without their knowledge, and gathers/transmits info on the user or their behavior. Many spyware products will collect referrer info (information from your web browser which reveals what URL you linked from), your IP address (a number that is used by computers on the network to identify your computer), system information (such as time of visit, type of browser used, the operating system and platform, and CPU speed.) Spyware products sometimes wrap other commercial products, and are introduced to machines when those commercial products are installed. See also Adware.



Reasons For Retention

Opens connections to Sony BMG to pull down information
Silently connects to an unintended site to transmit user data
Silently tracks input into the computer

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