Sony Suspends 'Rootkit' DRM Technology

Music company Sony BMG Music Entertainment has succumbed to mounting criticism, announcing plans to stop production of music CDs that use a controversial digital rights management technology called XCP. The company said Friday that it is temporarily suspending manufacture of CDs with XCP, which security experts said used malicious "rootkit" techniques to evade detection on Windows systems.

The company will also re-examine its copy protection initiative to make sure it has balanced ease of use for consumers with security, according to an e-mail statement. "I think they should have done it right away," said Mark Russinovich, chief software architect and co-founder of Winternals Software LP. Russinovich's analysis of the XCP technology drew international attention to Sony's dubious copy protection wares.