DRM patch expires hacked Blu-ray and HD DVD encryption keys

 

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By Simon Aughton

Posted on 12 Apr 2007 at 11:39

The body that oversees the AACS DRM technology that imposes rigourous copy-protection measures on Blu-ray and HD DVD discs has released a security update that expires hacked encryption keys.

The Advanced Access Content System Licensing Administrator (AACS LA) says that the update will provide a new set of encryption keys. It also enables player manufacturers to update the software on the devices in order to support the new keys. If the update is not applied then existing discs will be unplayable.

Software that enables the viewing of discs on a PC will have to be updated separately. Corel has released a new version of InterVideo WinDVD to enable playback of both existing and new Blu-ray and HD DVD titles.

The first published HD DVD crack appeared at the beginning of the year; Blu-ray's DRM was circumvented shortly afterwards.

AACS LA acknowledged the cracks, explaining that the encryption keys had been extracted from 'one or more; player applications, but would not name them. It stressed that the 'development is limited to the compromise of specific implementations, and does not represent an attack on the AACS system itself'.

Doubtless hackers will now set about extracting the new keys to add yet more high-definition titles to those that appeared on p2p file sharing networks soon after the first keys were obtained.