Security researchers at F-Secure had claimed that the drives were performing covert installations of software that could leave users vulnerable to attack.
A Sony spokesperson told vnunet.com last week that three of the devices had been discontinued owing to sluggish sales.
The spokesperson could not confirm information in a report by vnunet.com's sister title Computeractive citing a statement that sets mid-September as the target date for the patch.
F-Secure claimed that several Micro Vault drives equipped with fingerprint readers installed drivers which behaved like rootkits.
The researchers claimed that the behaviour of the software could allow an attacker to deliver malicious payloads without the user's knowledge.
The reports brought back memories of Sony's 2005 XCP scandal, in which DRM rootkits were found embedded in the company's music CDs.
F-Secure said that it has spoken to Sony and that the company has asked for the security firm's research notes on the matter.
Sony plans fix for 'rootkit' USB sticks
By
Shaun Nichols
on
Sep 6, 2007 3:07PM
Sony is reportedly planning to issue a patch later this month which will remove software installed by its Micro Vault USB thumb drives.
Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Partner Content
.png&h=183&w=300&c=1&s=0)
Promoted Content
Accenture and Google Cloud team up to create a loveable, Australian-first, renewable energy product
Digital signatures propel Australian Unity with rapid time to value
Promoted Content
Security: Understanding the fundamentals of governance, risk & compliance
Promoted Content
Security "mindset shift" needed to protect organisations
Sponsored Whitepapers
Free eBook: Digital Transformation 101 – for banks
Why financial services need to tackle their Middle Office
Learn: The latest way to transfer files between customers
Extracting the value of data using Unified Observability
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
