New AACS Fix Hacked in a Day

VincenzoRomano writes "ArsTechnica has just published an update to the neverending story about copy protection used in HD DVD and Blu-ray discs and hacker efforts against it. From the article: 'The ongoing war between content producers and hackers over the AACS copy protection used in HD DVD and Blu-ray discs produced yet another skirmish last week, and as has been the case as of late, the hackers came out on top. The hacker BtCB posted the new decryption key for AACS on the Freedom to Tinker web site, just one day after the AACS Licensing Authority (AACS LA) issued the key.' The article proposes a simple description of the protection schema and a brief look back at how the cracks have slowly chipped away at its effectiveness. It seems it'll be a long way to an effective solution ... if any. One could also argue whether all that money spent by the industry in this race will be worth the results and how long it would take for a return on investment."

Haiku?

[packetmon]

the site posted the 128-bit key as a method of decrypting a small haiku that they placed on the same page, noting that it just might accidentally (wink, wink) be the same key that will decrypt new high-definition discs as well

I couldn't find that Haiku... Was it:

Broken it is now
Silly little execs
More Free DVD's

Re:Haiku?

[theTrueMikeBrown]

perhaps: I am so clever My password cannot be guessed... Inconceivable!

Neverending story, eh?

[Spy der Mann]

This reminds me of a famous song... [wikipedia.org] let's see what we can do with it.

*ahem* *ahem*

Turn around
Look at what you see
In their face
The keyword of your dreams
Make believe they're everywhere
Just encrypted in the lines
Written on the DVD's
Is the answer to our never ending story
ah ah ah

See the cracks
In their fantasy
crush their dream
show them what they'll be
Codes that keep their secrets
Will unfold behind a yarr
zero nine eff nine one one...
Is the answer to our never ending story
ah ah ah

Show no fear
For they may fade away
In your hands
The birth of a new age
Codes that keep their secrets
Will unfold behind a yarr
zero nine eff nine one one...
Is the answer to our never ending story...
ah ah ah
Never ending story...
ah ah ah
Never ending story.

Heard from an RIAA Studio exec .....

[Anonymous Coward]

Studio Exec: [pointing to a screen with code on it] This is a crypto program, to, uh, you know, what we use on DVDs, but it's very, very special, because, if you can see...
Hacker: Yeah...
Studio Exec: [pointing to the parameters] ...the numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the screen: eleven, eleven, eleven, eleven...
Hacker: Oh, I see. And most crypto keys go up to ten?
Studio Exec: Exactly.
Hacker: Does that mean it's better? Is that any better?
Studio Exec: Well, it's one better, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most... most blokes, you know, will be coding at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up... you're on ten on your algorithm. Where can you go from there? Where?
Hacker: I don't know...
Studio Exec: ...nowhere! Exactly! What we do is if we need that extra... push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Hacker: Put it up to eleven.
Studio Exec: ...Eleven. Exactly. One better.
Hacker: Why don't you just make ten better, and make ten be the top... number, and make that algorithm a little better?
Studio Exec: [pause, blank look and snapping chewing gum] This goes to eleven.

That was quick

[dgr73]

Usually userfriendly.org can run atleast a few strips poking fun at the inevitability of the crack before one is actually delivered. I guess in the future they should make a stock strip and replace the daily strip with it the second a new AACS fix is announced.

Then again, considering all those pre-release movies out there, I wonder when we'll start getting pre-fix cracks.

Re:45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2

[aj50]

Aww, man. Now I'll have to buy another rubber stamp...

Silent?

[Opportunist]

Well, no, my coworkers just looked quite puzzled at my expression of joy. And sorry, Dave, I owe you a cleaning of that shirt.

(Note to self, don't drink coffee and read /.)

2 down...

[Evil Cretin]

Just (2^128 - 2) more to go!

Re:If it's viewable, it's hackable

[bberens]

Humans are analog creatures. We can't interpret digital signals in real time.

Speak for yourself, chump. :-p

Re:If it's viewable, it's hackable

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know about you, but there have been plenty of films lately that *I* consider unwatchable. . .

Re:If it's viewable, it's hackable

[ArsenneLupin]

Which is a harder problem - cracking the Chinese copyright violation problem, or teaching Bollywood to make good movies?

I'd say, teaching Hollywood to make good movies... *ducks*

Re:crapflooding with keys

[A beautiful mind]

I have both keys on my webserver. It is not located in the USA. Have fun litigating... :)

Re:If it's viewable, it's hackable

[elrous0]

You, but you're a bender unit. He was talking about us meatbags.

Title should be: New AACS Hack Fixed in a Day

[Hmmble]

Incorrect story subject. It should be the other way around: " New AACS Hack Fixed in a Day".

Re:If it's viewable, it's hackable

[Mattcelt]

That's what YOUR grandparents said about anyone who listened to rock-and-roll.