Rootkits should be outlawed, Homeland Security says

An official of the U.S. Homeland Security said perhaps the best way to deal with rootkits like the one from Sony BMG is to outlaw them:

"The recent Sony experience shows us that we need to be thinking about how we ensure that consumers are not surprised by what their software programs do," Jonathan Frenkel, director of law enforcement policy at the U.S Department of Homeland Security said in a speech here at the RSA Conference 2006.

A lesson has been learned from the Sony debacle, which left unwitting consumers with software on their PCs that could be used by cyberattackers to hide their malicious code. "Companies now know that they should not surreptitiously install a rootkit on computers," Frenkel said.

More details over at CNET.