Earlier this week, someone posted on twitter a possible HDCP Master Key. Since then, speculation has run rampant on whether or not it is legitimate, or just a nerdy prank. Today, Intel has confirmed that yes it is the actual HDCP Master Key. Intel spokesman Tom Waldrop:
“We have tested this published material that was on the Web,” Waldrop said. “It does produce product keys… the net of that means that it is a circumvention of the code.”
As a practical matter, the most likely scenario for a hacker would be to create a computer chip with the master key embedded it, that could be used to decode Blu-ray discs. A software decoder is unlikely, “but I’d never say never,” Waldrop said.
“It’s really hard to predict 100 percent, but that seems to be the prime scenario,” Waldrop said of the possibility that a chip might be created.
Basically, now anyone has the capability to create “product keys”. Product Keys are what the HDCP control group “Digital Content Protection LLP” would issue to manufacturers for use in BluRay players and televisions to enable encrypted communications. These keys could then be revoked if necessary, allowing them control of the technology in case one of them is compromised. With the ability to generate product keys at will, someone could write software or build hardware that randomly generates product keys at will, making them impossible to be revoked.
So in short, HDCP is well and truly broken. Although, I bet that the entertainment industry will continue to use it for the forseeable future, nonetheless. Afterall, a change to the Master Key would most likely require changes to every single piece of HDCP-equipment in the field, guaranteed to be a consumer support nightmare.
via HDCP Master Key Confirmed; Blu-Ray Has Been Cracked | News & Opinion | PCMag.com.
