A computer hacker claims to have broken the AACS (Advanced Access Content System) encryption specification used to control unauthorized copying on HD-DVD and Blu-ray video players.
The hacker, who goes by the name of Muslix64, said he wrote the software earlier this month after hardware compatibility problems made it impossible for him to play HD-DVDs on an X-Box that was connected to his PC.
"I started to get mad," he wrote in a posting to the Doom9.org discussion forum. "This is now what we call 'fair use'! So I decide to decrypt that movie."
Mulix64 has posted a video purporting to show the software decrypting a copy of Stanley Kubrick's 1987 film, Full Metal Jacket.
This development is a black eye for the new optical disc formats, which are both jockeying to be successor to the DVD. The Advanced Access Content System Licensing Administrator, the group that sets the AACS specification, could not be reached for comment Friday.
Seven years ago, a 16-year-old Norwegian named Jon Johansen performed a similar feat, cracking the CSS (content scrambling system) encryption scheme used by DVDs. Johansen was eventually acquitted on charges relating to the release of his decrypting software.
By cracking AACS, Muslix64 may have violated the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which prohibits users from circumventing copy-protection tools without the permission of the copyright holder, said Fred von Lohmann, senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Still, the software seems to have been written out of a legitimate sense of frustration with onerous copy-protection mechanisms, von Lohmann said. "He went out and bought a fancy new product that he thought would improve his experience and despite the fact that he's a legitimate buyer, it didn't work."
"When American consumers go and buy movies legitimately in the store, they should be entitled to play them back on whatever they'd like," he said. "Unfortunately that's not the set of rules that Hollywood seems to be embracing."
This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.
Download now »
Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
Download now »
The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation
Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.
Download now »
Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts
This white paper provides guidance on how to develop a strategic approach to managing and monitoring logs, a key function required for compliance with many regulatory mandates and a critical defense against security threats.
Download now! »
Learn about the processes and technologies that support security information management (SIM) operations, as well as the business case for SIM. The series examines different options for implementing SIM and gives you evaluation criteria for selecting the best option for your organization.
Download now! »
Learn the strategies, actions, and capabilities that Best-in-Class organizations employ and technologies they choose to obtain superior performance against various security performance metrics. This report provides guidelines for identifying which security solutions to consume as a MSS and defines best practices for choosing and managing MSSPs.
Download now! »
Recommend This
