SlySoft, a developer of software designed to bypass DRM on a variety of formats, has announced that they have sucessfully cracked the BD+ Blu-Ray encryption scheme.
BD+ works by launching a tamper-proof virtual machine which checks to see if the software – or hardware – the disc is being played on has been cracked. If it detects foul play, it locks the system down.
Despite offering a far higher level of protection than the default AACS encryption scheme used on both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs, the BD+ system clearly wasn't smart enough. Peter van Heuen, the head of High-Definiition Technologies at SlySoft, said in a statement that the company was “rather proud to have brought back to earth the highly-praised and previously 'unbreakable' BD+.”
The BD+ system does have the ability to adapt, however, with systems that are known to have flaws being added to an on-disc blacklist that will prevent newer releases from playing on devices known to have loopholes. SlySoft isn't worried, though: van Heuen claims the company is “well prepared for this and [awaits] the coming developments rather relaxed.”
Although SlySoft are considered to be at the forefront of DRM disabling, it's unlikely that they'll be the only game in town for breaking BD+ for long. From where I'm standing, it certainly looks like all that money the industry spent trying to keep those naughty pirates from duplicating their discs was for naught, with the software available from SlySoft making copying Blu-Ray discs as easy as it did for DVDs.
Maybe it's time to give up on technological solutions, and just trust your customers?
What do you think: is DRM a dead duck, or will the industry be able to create uncrackable protection one day? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
BD+ works by launching a tamper-proof virtual machine which checks to see if the software – or hardware – the disc is being played on has been cracked. If it detects foul play, it locks the system down.
Despite offering a far higher level of protection than the default AACS encryption scheme used on both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs, the BD+ system clearly wasn't smart enough. Peter van Heuen, the head of High-Definiition Technologies at SlySoft, said in a statement that the company was “rather proud to have brought back to earth the highly-praised and previously 'unbreakable' BD+.”
The BD+ system does have the ability to adapt, however, with systems that are known to have flaws being added to an on-disc blacklist that will prevent newer releases from playing on devices known to have loopholes. SlySoft isn't worried, though: van Heuen claims the company is “well prepared for this and [awaits] the coming developments rather relaxed.”
Although SlySoft are considered to be at the forefront of DRM disabling, it's unlikely that they'll be the only game in town for breaking BD+ for long. From where I'm standing, it certainly looks like all that money the industry spent trying to keep those naughty pirates from duplicating their discs was for naught, with the software available from SlySoft making copying Blu-Ray discs as easy as it did for DVDs.
Maybe it's time to give up on technological solutions, and just trust your customers?
What do you think: is DRM a dead duck, or will the industry be able to create uncrackable protection one day? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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