AACS Revokes Keys

[mas]

For those who felt the threat was moot and that invocation was years away:

AACS LA Pulls the Trigger; Revocation System Under Way

http://www.betanews.com/article/AACS_LA_Pulls_the_Trigger_Revocation_System_Under_Way/1176246295

Last
Friday, the Advanced Access Content System Licensing Administrator (AACS LA),
which is responsible for providing the encrypted copy protection scheme for
both HD DVD and Blu-ray high-definition disc players, exercised the option
their system was designed to enable:

Through
the distribution of new movie discs with embedded revoked keys, AACS LA will
trigger a self-destruct system for PC-based high-def player software whose
integrity from unauthorized copying is found to be compromised. And based on
its last statement, the revocation could extend beyond Corel InterVideo, which
warned its users last Friday.

Under the system which will
get its first trials in the coming days, consumers will be prompted to upgrade
their software in order to avoid the self-destruct sequence. The upgrade
process will replace users' device-assigned decryption keys with new keys that
would not be revoked, and whose identity has yet to be discovered.

But
while multiple press sources over the past few days followed up on our story
from last Friday by saying AACS LA announced it had fixed the problem, or
patched the crack, that's not what the licensing authority actually announced.
Rather, it said it had "taken action, in cooperation with relevant
manufacturers, to expire the encryption keys associated with the specific
implementations of AACS-enabled software.

What
this means is that individuals -- including those who claim they're simply
working to devise a way to back up their purchased discs, using a method that
Congress could very well legalize this year -- may conceivably use exactly the
same methods they used to detect the first set of critical AACS encryption
keys, to detect the replacement set. Now that they know how, the detection
process could actually be faster this time around.

As a result, the stage
appears set for a kind of cryptographic volleyball between encoder developers
and decoder programmers, with consumers finding themselves not feeling less
like the passive observer and more like the ball.

[westcott]

And I wonder when the next "shoe" (HDCP) will fall? It's enablement will probably cause riots in the streets today, but as time wears on, I am sure the studios are going to have to pull the trigger so they can start releasing some HD content with actual substance.

Time will tell!

[eq_shadimar]

Ok and this is bad why? As far as I know this is exactly how the system is supposed to work.

Laters,

Jeff

[Professor.Ham.Slap]

You know, I almost called it last night that this would be broken again by the end of the week. This is a news article posted by engadget.com.

AACS hacked to expose Volume ID on Xbox360 HD DVD Addon

>> From engadget.com:

In
parallel efforts, hackers in both the Xboxhacker and Doom9 forums have
exposed the "Volume ID" for discs played on XBOX 360 HD DVD drives. Any
inserted disc will play without first authenticating with AACS, even
those with Volume IDs which have already been revoked by the AACS LA
due to previous hacking efforts. Add the exposed processing keys and
you can decrypt and backup your discs for playback on any device of
your choosing. Now go ahead AACS LA, revoke the Toshiba-built XBOX 360
HD DVD player... we double-dog dare ya.

[mas]

You know, I am not sure what the fact that someone has hacked this proves exactly. I have no doubt some can and will.

But the reality that remains is that MOST have not and don't have a clue as to how to do this. Heck, most don't even have a clue what to do when Windows has a problem!

So for all of the folks elsewhere and on this forum who are not comfortable hacking the software, exactly where does this leave you?

AACS and other advanced DRM schemes are reality, and their presence will grow. I will admit that I am not really scared of them, and any objection is more theoretical and 'in principle' than real, as I completely understand the material owner's desire to control distribution and to protect their rights, and hence do not disagree with the idea behind DRM. In the past I have been able to 'circumvent' the programs that heretofore have been critical to backup for archival purposes. And I am not a distributor of said product, nor do I trade online. And I am sure there will be material that I can't or don't want to hassle with hacking. And i suspect that there are some here who are in a similar position. So all it really means is that it is up to me to decide if the existing EULAs are acceptable or not, and I have a choice to make as to whether to buy them. I suspect most, including myself, are simply using the programs they
buy. I actually rather tire of the DRM/anti-DRM rants so common online.
If someone finds it so heinous, just don't buy it.

But all of this is really secondary to the real issue of AACS and HDCP as it applies to this site. DRM is not really a big deal as a topic of debate. Rather, it is simply an important aspect of equipment compatibility.

But I would suspect that I and some here may not represent the average consumer who may not be comfortable with the hassle involved with anything other than simply wanting to play a game or watch a movie. And it is their experience that is important and too often overlooked. They simply want their stuff to play. And that is why the DRM formats are important. Folks need to at least be aware of the technology so that they can make good market choices and to insure that their money will buy equipment that is compatible for the greatest number of choices over the longest period of time.

And to this end, the major issue for most users is simply to insure that the hardware they assemble is as future proof as is reasonable. And that it is compatible with the evolving standards that they wish to utilize - hence the need to be aware of your TV and your monitors compliance with AACS and HDCP, etc., if for no other reason than to avoid a costly surprise.

Thus for all in the market to buy such items as computer video cards, monitors and other playback hardware, as well as HD televisions where you anticipate the ability to view HD program material, be it HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, you need to make sure that your 'pieces and parts' are AACS and HDCP compliant, as the days of being able to simply ignore this are gone.

And this also entails being aware that VGA and DVI interfaces are going to be supplanted by DisplayPort as well. Oh, not today or tomorrow, but you should start being aware of your future plans and what is necessary to satisfy those needs over the lifespan of the technology.

Be smart and make good decisions.

[westcott]

AND your AV receivers. The new Dolby True HD spec requires HDCP compliant HDMI connections for the new HD audio format. Haven't checked DTS and not sure if proprietary firewire will be allowed.

The days of running your video separate from your audio are going to disappear.

Just means we are going to have to spend more money to stay current for video and audio.

All the cracking is more of a demonstration of how futile it is for the industry to demand copy protection. The thieves will crack it anyway and all it does is make component handshaking a pain in the behind for everyone else, not to mention, the added expense to stay current and knowledgable.