chuso.net

Some time ago I bought an eBook in PDF format. Yes, I paid for it. And it seems that the distributors thought that it would be a great idea if I couldn't open the file with any PDF reader or if I couldn't select, copy or print text from that book, so they protected it with a proprietary plug-in for Adobe Acrobat.

Now I need to read this PDF, so I thought that I would have to install that plug-in, but then I realized that the plug-in is no longer maintained (at least for Linux) and it doesn't work with current Acrobat versions so I can't read the PDF I paid.

OK, I can't boast about my creativity since it tends to zero, but this why I'm not a publicist.

Do you remember? The infamous case of Sony slipping us a rootkit with some of their audio CDs that includes the issue that hides files and registry entries beginning with $sys$, even with registry editors and some antivirus, giving the work done to virii, trojans and other malware. The scandal was immediate and the story spread widely, this is why now sounds so surprising that Sony tried the same again, this time with its USB memory sticks. It was discovered by F-Secure and heard by McAfee that showed its perplexity about Sony hitting the same stone twice and shows us that this time is even easier: it even isn't needed the user to install Sony's rootkit in order to take its advantages to virii scene, since this time the way they hide the rootkit (of course, at the API layer, so antivirus can't reach it) is with an executable file that blocks access to the directory it's executed from. Proved by a video that executing it in %windir% blocks access to the entire directory getting a useless Windows (if you'll forgive the repetition).

• The origin
• The software
• The resistence
• The history