iTunes hacker says DRM 'will be cracked' and gives his opinion

May 6, 2004

David Hammerton who originally cracked iTunes authentication said that DRM will be cracked. He took about a
week to crack the original authentication, but Apple recently fought back with iTunes 4.5
which uses improved authentication measures. The new authentication changed the MD5 routine to lock out Hammerton's original crack. However it just took eight hours for him to
break the new authentication.

While his main intention was to allow his Linux music player to access iTunes server shares, it is possible for someone to build software around his developed libraries to copy music from an iTunes server. However his main objection to DRM is the interoperability issue and not about being able to pirate music. So far he has not received any contact or
legal threat from Apple and he is confident about being able to stay ahead of
Apple's authentication measures. Thanks to GristyMcFisty for submitting the following news via our news submit :

According to the Australian
researcher who cracked the authentication used by Apple's iTunes software,
current-generation Digital Rights Management (DRM) will never work.

David
Hammerton, a 20-year-old Arts-Science student, reverse-engineered iTunes'
authentication measures last week, allowing non-iTunes clients to connect
to Apple's servers. It was the second time he had managed to crack the
authentication, however this time it took him just eight hours to break
the brand-new iTunes 4.5, which had been patched against his previous
research.

"The first
time it took me a week to do it," said Hammerton, known online as
"Crazney". "The second time I knew what to look for, so it only took me
eight hours,"

(Further down the article...)

Not that he's too worried about being
locked out. Hammerton says the current generation of DRM and
"anti-interoperability" measures will never beat geeks with too much time
on their hands.

Even some in the online music business
agree. "My personal view is that it's inevitable that all forms of DRM...
will be cracked," says Domenic Carosa, chief executive of the online music
venture Destra Corporation. Nevertheless, "DRM is imperative, particularly
when it comes to record companies. They need to feel secure in selling
their music legally and digitally. They do that because of DRM," Carosa
said.

But Hammerton's work, and efforts like
it, aren't the end of the world for the record companies, Carosa argues.
Because those with major objections to DRM due to interoperability
concerns are essentially a fringe group, damage to the broader market
through piracy is unlikely.

Read the full
article here.

It looks like Apple have basically wasted their own and consumers time by creating a new authentication system and expecting all its iTunes users to upgrade just to see it broken in 8 hours by a single person. In a way, it is nice to see someone interested in allowing users to play their purchased music on multiple platforms. If unofficial MP3's from file sharing networks can be played on nearly every platform and digital audio device, then why should consumers have their music locked to 'authorised' equipment when they are willing pay to download music?

Feel free to discuss and read about copy protection systems
on our Copy Protection Discussion Forum . David Hammerton's website can be accessed here.

Source: The Register