Microsoft Windows Media Player Encryption Hacked

NubKnacker writes "Here we go again. The Register has the story about the encryption in Windows Media Player being hacked by DVD Jon. From the article: 'Jon Lech Johansen has reverse engineered a proprietary algorithm, which is used to wrap Media Player NSC files and ostensibly protect them from hackers sniffing for the media's source IP address, port or stream format. He has also made a decoder available." This has been pending for some time now. Do you see a reason to install Windows/WMP just to be able to view a webcast?"

Comments

As soon as I can figure this out..

[ackthpt]

I may use it, but I'm usually only watching Windows media stuff when I have little other choice.

Previous link Linus on /. is interesting.

>Linus Torvalds in a recent LKML posting:

Gaah. I don't tend to bother about slashdot, because quite frankly, the whole _point_ of slashdot is to have this big public wanking session with people getting together and making their own "insightful" comment on any random topic, whether they know anything about it or not.

Quoted for truth.

Linus is a good guy, but in this instance I metamoderate him over the head with a rancid carp.

Hire him

[bahwi]

I think Microsoft should just hire DVD Jon and whoever else and have him write the algorithms and encryption. I know it's counterproductive, and I know he would probably oppose it, but throw enough money under there and most morals head out the door. DRM is coming, and if this guy is going to keep cracking them, you're gonna need someone better than him to write it, or get him so he'll be on their side.

Ah well, until then, what's the next one for him to hack? Can't be too far off now.

Re:Hire him

[Alsee]

I think Microsoft should just hire DVD Jon and whoever else and have him write the algorithms and encryption.

The "problem" is that DRM is not actually encryption, it's obfuscation. You are GIVING people the encrypted content, you are GIVING people the decryption algorithm, and you are GIVING people any keys required. If you didn't then they wouldn't be able to view it at all.

Hiring DVD Jon wouldn't make one bit of difference. No matter what algorithms and keys Jon comes up with, he'd still have to GIVE them to everyone in order to be able to view the files at all.

Encryption is when Alice wants to send a message to Bob and prevent Charlie from reading it. Encryption can be extremely secure. You can do fantastic encryption to keep stuff secret against Charlie.

With DRM you are Alice attempting to send a message to Bob so that Bob can read it, but you are trying to somehow keep it secure against Bob. It doesn't work. You can't give it to Bob and keep it secret from Bob at the same time. DRM is fundamentally flawed logic.

This is why you (almost) never hear about military encryption or bank encryption or credit card encryption or other proper encryption being cracked, yet you ALWAYS hear about DRM systems falling apart. You can encrypt the files on your hard drive and the FBI could attack it for a hundred years and not get anywhere. That is a valid encryption task. You can create a DRM system and it generally falls apart in a matter of hours, days, or at most a few months. DRM is not a valid encryption task, you're not trying to keep secrets against an outside party. You're tring to keep secrest against an inside party. Trying to keep secrets against people who ARE AUTHORIZED to read the files.

You generally can't "crack" legitimate encryption. On the other hand a skilled person can always look at at the DRM system YOU'VE GIVEN HIM and that you have AUTHORIZED him to view files on, and he can and read around inside and figure out how it works. Once you've authorsed someone to read/view something then it is no longer within the realm of encryption.

The new Trusted Computing DRM system they are pushing is the same thing, with the single twist that your personal key is hidden inside a microship. Well if you're a bright college student and you have a well equipped college lab handy, well it's STILL merely a matter of looking inside they chip you've been given and reading out your key and then the entire system falls apart.

DRM is a fundamentally broken idea. It is simply impossible to give people something and keep it a secret against them at the same time.

The real problem with DRM are the stuipid laws attempting to get DRM to "work". The DMCA says that NONINFRINGING people can go to prison for up to five years. Innocent noninfringing people. There's a bill, the DMCRA, which would simply amend the DMCA to say that noninfringing people are not criminals and do not go to prison. Under the DMCRA anyone who commits copyright infringment would face the exact same laws and penalties as before, the DMCRA only protects noninfringing people. I have never heard anyone give any reason or argument why noninfrining people *should* go to prison. If any Americans would like to support the DMCRA and insure noninfringing people do not unjustly face prison under the DMCA then please click my SIG and register your support.

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Windows Media

[callipygian-showsyst]

Do you see a reason to install Windows/WMP just to be able to view a webcast?"

No! I've installed Windows Media--including the Windows Media SDK, WMP10, and the Windows Media Encoder--because it's a great encoder and is included in the price of a windows system. I prefer the sound of WMA-encoded files to MP3s at the same bitrate. And there are at least 50 music players on the market, like my Samsung, that I can just plug in to Windows and sync with Windows Media Player! No need to install any software (unlike those stupid Creative folks with their virus!). Just plug it in and it works.

Re:Windows Media

[NatasRevol]

No need to install any software???? Except of course the 3 pieces you mentions a couple of sentences ago.

And as for the virus....it's a Windows virus. The problem isn't with creative, it's with an OS that's so easily corrupted.

Re:And out come the lawyers

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps they'll try to extradite him like this guy: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM .20050730.wxdope0730/BNStory/National/ This too involves a foreign national breaking US laws with/using the internet. Here there is no 'physical' object crossing the borders however.

They created a monster

[intnsred]

Thinking back to years ago when the corporate powers-that-be had a teenager arrested for merely figuring out CSS, I wonder if those corporate bureaucrats realize that they were creating a monster?

I mean, if they had just left the kid alone, his curiousity might have waned and today he might be a stodgy coder writing finance apps.

Instead, they pissed him off, highlighted the system's corruption and injustice, and created a monster.

Using this for years

[cz_eye]

Being a non-broadbander from far far east I was forced to do so on regular basis. The streaming is no-option for me so I am forced to hack the stream server and get to the downloadable content. I can do it for cbsnew.com, comedycentral.com, foxnews.com, cnn.com, msnbc.com and bunch of other servers. Some have their content even very well indexed and sorted by date in the database behind, so someone can pick the track without even looking.. (once u get in) just change the date or increment the story ID and forward it to the download queue. Instant TV and replayable, very nice.

(just kidding of course)

Don't think so, What DMCA?

[Anonymous Coward]

What DMCA?
Because, thank God, American "justice" is of no consequence in my country (Norway) - so DVD-Jon will be free to continue.

Of course, for you US citizens it's another matter, but then again you get what you pay/vote for.

Re:Windows....

[h4rm0ny]

Well, I'm not the OP but two things to consider:

1. If one person out of seven billion cracks it, then seven billion people can access it - e.g. DVD Jon cracks DVD encryption and now we all watch DVDs on our PCs.

2. Refusing to use Microsoft-only formats/protocols to recieve media sends a strong message to the media provider that they should offer something else if they want his attention. This works for news-outlets and entertainment,

If you're suggesting that he is seriously impairing his learning or life-quality by cutting off these sources, then that would be a counter-point to point two. But I think it's unlikely that he can't get the same information or entertainment elsewhere.