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If you've followed any of our previous entries here, we've often referred to music executives, their companies and lawyers as making up the "evil empire". The reason is simply because of the strong-arm, Mafia-like tactics they use to scare off alleged illegal music downloaders. Add to this their track record of suing even innocent victims who didn't have the slightest idea of what music downloads were.

Back to our topic now. In today's high-speed, internet-driven world, most computer users' concerns are focused on not being victims of cyber crimes. Fact is, organized crime is now fully entrenched in cyber activities that target undefended computers. Lacking the characteristics of these modern-day criminal exploids led the computer security experts to merely dismiss the deletemusic worm as a product of mischievous minds.

However, who's to say that this worm is not at all the handiwork of the music companies and their minions? Of course this is pure speculation because we do not have information regarding the origin and the signature of the worm.

One has to take into account the fact that the music companies pass themselves off as legitimate business. They cannot be engaged in activities that lean towards being felonious or they'd be just as bad as the alleged illegal downloaders they are always pursuing.

Most people would scoff at the thought of accusing the record companies of being engaged in these types of "mischievous" activities. But then the recording industry also has a track record of dipping into technology as a means of protecting their properties. Remember the now-infamous rootkit misadventure that involved Sony Music? That was their lame attempt at tracking down the buyers of their CD's and ensure that they wouldn't be engaged in illegal music sharing.

Nowadays, agents for music companies have also infiltrated the peer-to-peer file-sharing world. Bit-torrent file sharers have reported incidents involving music companies in well-planned setups to entrap donwloaders. Since users of bit-torrent programs need to connect to a "tracker" in order to hook up with other sharers, these agents have set up fake trackers in an attempt to lure the downloaders, capture their internet addresses (IP) and then prosecute them. Indeed, it is cyber-entrapment.

Since most computer viruses and worms are contracted through the use of file sharing networks, why not use the same file sharing network to release this mp3-deleting worm? The number of other viruses and worms being propagated through these networks can easily camouflage this one. Sort of like coming in from under the radar.

Is any of this sounding too farfetched? Okay, good

Since we're writing in X-Files mode today, might as well throw in this final piece. So far, the record companies' foray into technology has been that of a bumbling buffoon. But who's to say that's soon going to change? If organized crime has already enlisted the services of top-gun programmers in their criminal activities, why can't the record companies do the same? Can you imagine a computer programmer that thinks like a record company executive? Or how about the son or daughter of a record executive who's also an accomplished computer programmer? Fear the future.