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| Chilling Effects Clearinghouse > Anticircumvention (DMCA) > Weather Reports > Blu-Ray and HD DVD already singing the broken DRM blues? | 
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|  Blu-Ray and HD DVD already singing the broken DRM blues?Yaser Herrera, Samuelson Law, Technology, and Public Policy Clinic - Boalt Hall, March 18, 2006 Abstract: In a set of developments that shocks almost no one familiar with Digital Rights Management ("DRM") technology, it appears that the technology used to prevent copying of new, high definition DVDs, Advanced Access Content System ("AACS") has already been partially cracked. In a set of developments that shocks almost no one familiar with Digital Rights Management ("DRM") technology, it appears that the technology used to prevent copying of new, high definition DVDs, Advanced Access Content System ("AACS") has already been partially cracked. Blu-Ray and HD DVD, the two competing formats for the next generation of DVD technology, both use a content protection system known as AACS to restrict access and prevent copying of the DVDs. Proponents of AACS believed it to be a far superior method of encryption and anti-circumvention tool than Content Scramble System ("CSS"), which "protects" the current generation of DVDs. For one, players had individual and unique encryption "keys," making it possible for AACS vendors to "revoke" a individual players ability to play newer titles with updated encryption keys. For instance, if a software-based content player's keys were discovered, AACS vendors could revoke that software's encryption keys, preventing the software from playing any future titles. The software vendor could then update the program with newer encryption keys. This gave AACS the flexibility to adapt to new attempts at cracking the DRM that CSS, with its shared encryption keys, could not provide. As with most DRM, however, there were determined individuals who refused to be frustrated by AACS and who claimed to be exercising their fair use rights. Several hackers began testing AACS for weaknesses. The first development came when a hacker known as muselix64 wrote a program called BackUpHDDVD which could decrypt high definition media content, but which lacked the necessary encryption keys to do so. The second major development came about when another hacker named arnezami found a method of extracting the Volume ID signatures from both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs, which could make it easier for hackers to extract an unprotected version of the high-definition content. Recently, a hacker known as ATARI Vampire combined these two developments, and discovered a set of device keys by monitoring the memory output of the playback software WinDVD8. With these three methods, hackers can now decrypt AACS-protected titles. AACS is not without options, however. It can revoke the discovered device keys for WinDVD, making the software unable to play new high definition DVDS. WinDVD programmers can then update the program with new software keys and try to harden the program against this type of memory scanning attack. Although the most recent attempts at completely cracking AACS have yet to succeed, one can only wonder for how much longer that will remain true. And if AACS becomes as easily decrypted as CSS, will Blu-Ray and HD DVD be singing the "DRM failed us again" blues? Sounds like we will be hearing that tune again. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070307-blu-ray-hd-dvd-crack-becomes-a-crevice.html http://www.aacsla.com/home
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