December 2005 Newsletter

What’s New at PC Pitstop, December 2005

Your Source for Free Online PC Tests & Diagnostics

IN THIS ISSUE

Rob Cheng’s Take on Sony’s Spyware

Rob’s latest article takes a hard look at the ramifications of the music industry using spyware to protect their artist’s content. He then outlines the steps that PC Pitstop and the antispyware industry need to take to stem the tide of unwelcome and invasive software. See our article on Sony’s actions for more information about their recently-discovered rootkit.
Sony and Spyware

The Sony XCP Rootkit

Nearly One-Third of Portables are Wide Screen

Are portable PCs following HDTV into the wide screen format? Our latest research found that wide screens are used on nearly one- third of all portables, but desktops are not following this trend. Portables have led the way in DVD readers and wide screen displays.
Wide Screen Display Trends

PC Pitstop Detects Sony Spyware

Many industry observers, including PC Pitstop, label Sony’s digital rights management (DRM) as spyware, since it has the potential to send information about your music habits to Sony over the Internet. Check your PC for these new threats to your PC at PC Pitstop, using either our quick spyware scan, our deep spyware scan, or our full tests. Why not try them all, they’re free!
Full Test

Free Spyware Scan

Quick Program Scan

Sony Rootkit: Number 14 on the Top 25 Spyware

Despite Sony making a half-hearted attempt to pull CDs off music retailers shelves before the popular Christmas season, their XCP rootkit made PC Pitstop’s Top 25 spyware list, debuting at number 14. Now that these CDs have been recalled, will XCP keep rising? Watch our Top 25 to find out.
Read more…

About PC Pitstop

PC Pitstop, LLC (https://www.pcpitstop.com) was formed in February 2000, and offers users a unique way to make sure their PCs are running fast, stable and secure–all through a free, Web-based interface.

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