No Plans to Tweak DRM Download Mechanism
Found on eWEEK on Thursday, 13 January 2005
Microsoft Corp. says it has no plans to change the way its Windows Media Player handles the download of DRM licenses.
Amid reports that malicious hackers are using the anti-piracy mechanism to infect computers with spyware, adware, dialers and computer viruses, Microsoft officials stressed that the latest attack scenario does not exploit a vulnerability in the software.
Security experts warn that crackers are rigging .wmv files to use the DRM (digital rights management) features of Windows Media Player to browse sites infested with malware.
Coleman also recommended the use of Microsoft's new anti-spyware software, which is capable of detecting and deleting unwanted programs.
Now wait... MS gets notified of a serious problem with their software; but if something happens, it's the the fault of the user? What a wicked way of thinking. The constant rise of spam proves that users are unwilling to learn, so MS shouldn't assume that the DRM problem will be solved this way. Wait for the next URL spoof, and even those who pay attention can be tricked (we've already seen that XP with SP2 isn't that safe). And while we're talking about spyware: at least their spyware-scanner should support W98; many people are still using it.