In 2005, Sony BMG was caught distributing rootkit enabled DRM software embedded in music CDs. Prior to this, common users were unaware of what rootkits do - namely, replace legitimate operating system components to hide malicious activity, provide remote backdoors and remain undetectable. Sony's blunder rendered several million consumer PCs vulnerable to hackers, and yet elicited only a minor settlement.

That minor settlement was evidently not enough. F-Secure's Blacklight software detected anomalous behavior with Sony's MicroVault fingerprint USB stick drivers. The drivers create a folder within c:\windows\ which remains hidden from all file queries. After locating the folder by simply changing directly into its path from the commandline, files (including those written maliciously as spyware, viruses and backdoors) can be placed on the host which will remain completely hidden from the operating system.