Tech News
HD-DVD DRM copy protection broken
By Steve Ragan Dec 31, 2006, 4:51 GMT
Headlines from The Tech Herald
Talkback
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Well, in my opinion, If the PRICE of DVD / HD-DVD / Blu-Ray disc etc movies/medias were not so HIGH, then, probably, this WAVE could have been reduced a bit. But MAIN POINT here is that, ULTIMATELY someone will definitely crack, whatever ENCRYPTION or Secured System is used or placed, even if it were built with billions of dollars, cause, its in our nature to understand/decrypt everything as much closely as possible. Movie & other industries' developers who developed the previous super encryption 'CSS' for DVD, was also got broken/hacked. Why they are thinking it will not be same again, i wonder. Encryption WILL NOT and CANNOT stop people from stop watching movies or stop listening to music. It is not the main factor in this case. Encryption or Secured system, can only make it LITTLE HARDER, thats the only thing which will/can be achived, and expected. When movies can be sold with a PRICE TAG which is AFFORDABLE to a POOR PERSON and people who earns below AVERAGE, then, probably, only then, hacking might stop. 'Encryption' will still be broken even then, if not by at least, just for FUN or to show ACHIEVEMENT. Amount of PROFIT from selling these medias need to be in a range, for example, in between 1% to 33%, then that will be JUSTIFIED and REASONABLE. Of course this limit will VARY on different FACTORS, but should stay CLOSE. But when profit goes beyond that invincible border of within reasonable, then that is UNREASONABLE, which results in these hacking/DECRYPTION. Link to the his(?) article is http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=119871 . ~BrightStar.
When will the companies understand that, by purchasing expensive copy protection systems, they are being lured in a fraudulent scheme?
Since we have general-purpose systems, copy protection is theoretically impossible. In order to allow legitimate users to access the product, you must provide the content, an implementation of the algorithm and the key. So you're also providing it for others. It's intrinsecally unsecure, no matter how obscurely you implement the decryption process. So it's only a matter of time until someone finds his/her way through.
A second step is cracking the actual code. Also, just a matter of time and more powerful computers. Although in this case the 'time' involved could be years (or millions of years ;) ), in real life this has not been the case still.
Have a nice new year, MPAA/RIAA.
Since a bug of a media player is exploited (most likely ?), to extract the final keys (for decrypting the bottom layer encryption which is AES encryption), by partially breaking the AACS encrption (which stays on top of AES encryption,) by using a media player's key or decode key ... this process will allow currently existing 150 (plus couple of more in the pipeline, maybe) HD-DVD / Blu-Ray movies to be decrypted. But starting from the future new movies, that specific media player key/keys can be banned, thus it will fail to read/decrypt (AACS encryption of) any new movie, and this counter measure feature was already built into AACS encryption mechanism, to anticipate, that someone might get access to (player) key(s). Then again, some hacker will again find another player key which will again let the hacker decrypt movies, existing at that period -150. Then again, that/those key(s) can be banned, and new keys will be used for new movies. Looks like, cat and mouse chasing. But when (the bottom layer) AES encryption code itself, can also be decrypted (rightaway), then this chasing might finally stop or slow down, like DeCSS hack has done for CSS encryption on DVD movies. On the other hand, since the Blu-Ray disc mechanism can implement its own proprietary/custom encryption (BD+) also, as a second layer of protection other than the AES, will come into use then. Then again, CSS used positive list as player key in DVD discs, but AACS uses negative list in HDDVD/BluRay, so, some hacker can find a way to stay out of that. So the game of cat and mouse chase, goes on.
Another protection against piracy is, Win Vista's ability to utilize the new security mechanism to stop piracy by implementing fully AACP compatible hw/sw chain/stack. Which makes me think twice, if i should upgrade to Win Vista, when i will not be able to make even one backup copy, of my own/purchased movie, what if, it gets damaged by someone by accident, thus render it faulty ? And i thought, i'm allowed to, and, have my right to protect, which is/are under my custody or owned by or licensed to me ? If i'm not allowed to make one backup copy, then, i expect, i must/should receive a fresh movie in case of any damage, from the hd-dvd/bluray movie studio, who released it. Doesn't that sound fair ? Is there any law or 'people's fair right act' - PFRA, like DMCA ? Looks like my government, which is for protecting people's right, instead, protecting corporations, amazing. If corporations can have right, then people must have right, over and above them. When laws are actually illegal laws, where people are not over and above the corporation, then, these kind of hacking will be kept on by the hackers.
Putting it simply - If I purchase a film, I want to be able to watch it when and where I like, instead the film companies try screwing us for ever penny they can. To often the film companies use the pretext of piracy to force these ridiculous measures on us, when in fact how can I be a pirate when I already own the film and have absolutely no intention of distributing it - all I want is to be able to watch it on my PC or mpeg4 player - its only thanks to the endeavours of people like Muslix64 that allow me to do this.
Piracy is actually a farcicle issue, the film companies say it loses them money - do they not realise that 99% of people with illegal copies would not have brought the product anyway, so how can they lose something which they never had or were going to get?
So Mr Film Company - stop whinging, stop trying to rip us off and finally give the consumer what they want, in the end you'll find it much more profitable.
HAX!!!!!11ONE!!
Not to sound pessimistic or defeatist, but all software security schemes will eventually be circumvented, no matter the complexity. This statement was made by an engineer for an anti-virus software company (I can't remember which one). In his words, securing software systems is a constant battle, but one that hackers/crackers will eventually win. I'm not sure WHY that is, cause he didn't elaborate, but it seemed to be a thoughtful comment rather than a pessimistic one...Kinda makes all these efforts at encryption or intrusion prevention (on PCs) seem futile...
The point I'd like to make is that if I BUY a DVD movie, that particular purchase is mine, I am free to do what I like with it so long as I don't make a profit out of someone else's work.
I AM FREE TO BACKUP MY DVDs. But with the encryption that is included on CDs and DVDs these days that is very hard to do with out some 3rd party software that has probably been hacked together as a crack and possibly illegal.
So who is infringing the law here? The movie/music corporations who wont allow me to back up my EXPENSIVE DVDs and CDs (especially if bought in the EEU), or the hacker that develops a routine that alows me to that which by law I am allowed to do.
Keep developing the HD DVD crack and port it soon to OS X please.
Yay!! Happy New Year, Motion Picture Association of America!
Quick! Somebody shut off the internet! Oh, man, who let that one slip?
It is futile to try to prevent people from sharing information. Security measures only provide a time frame where the technology is 'protected', sort of like the patent system.
That's the sound of 'Inevitability'
If the CIA let the Atom Bomb slip through their fingers, I don't think 'Kindergarten Cop II' has much of a chance... Ya know?
keep at it hackers, you are the only ones keeping us free.
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Jeff DahlgrenDec 31st, 2006 - 06:27:06
AACS Is Not 'Technically' cracked
Although it appears that 'muslix64' has developed a work around via key or volume information on HD-DVD the medias continuing rant that the encryption is 'cracked/hacked' is misleading. After reviewing the source code itself it appears that quite possibly the 'fix' is only an update away. It is by no means (yet) as significant as the DeCss crack was to DVD. Put simply, the encryption was not 'defeated' rather it's implementation was.
That said, it clearly leads to further questions as to the implications, if any, regarding Blu-Ray as it uses an additional layer of copy protection. The case is, and should be, still 'out' regarding the discovery's long term impact.
Jeff Dahlgren
www.networkwarriors.com
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