Cheerful Curmudgeon

In case you are not aware, Sony BMG recently released over 50 music titles with some anti-piracy software on the CDs. The software, dubbed XCP, silently installs a "root kit" on a Windows computer, opening up some nasty security risks. The only difference between XCP and the stuff the you buy McAfee VirusScan or Norton Antivirus (et cetera) to protect you from is that XCP comes from a large multinational corporation instead of from a criminal. (Never mind the editorial possibilities opened by that sentence.)

Brian Krebs writes on his blog at washingtonpost.com, Security Fix

Sony, Amazon Detail CD Buyback

Sony BMG has just posted a series of Web pages that should help consumers who have purchased music CDs tainted with its flawed anti-piracy software exchange them for the same titles without the software.

In a nutshell, you can return your tainted CD to Sony and (after they receive the disk) you can get a "safe" CD or you can download the MP3 files for your music. Amazon.com is also offering refunds to their customers.

Here is the list of tainted CDs.