During autumn 2005, Sony included rootkit-style content-protection software on approximately 4.7 million CDs of over 50 artists worldwide exposing consumer PCs to security holes. The XCP rootkit, developed by First4Internet, was inadvertently placed on unsuspecting systems and networks to hide Sony BMG"s DRM protection software. According to Sony, about six million CDs currently have this software on December 2005.
The ARIES Rootkit Remover developed by Lavasoft provides the means to locate and permanently remove the Sony rootkit from the system and disable the rootkit"s ability to run once more after reboot. This standalone tool is a reliable, trustworthy, and safe way of removing the rootkit--unlike Sony"s own rootkit remover that has been known to cause blue screens.