Fw: [t.toner at NTLWORLD.COM: tech buffs crack copy-protected CDs with a marker]

[Alex Snow]

Hi All,
I just thought this was an interesting post.
Just proves what I've always said: The hacker/cracker is always one step
ahead of the major companies.
----- Forwarded message from Barry <t.toner at NTLWORLD.COM> -----

To: HANDS at MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU


 LONDON (Reuters) - Technology buffs have cracked music publishing giant
 Sony
Music's elaborate disc copy-protection technology with a decidedly
low-tech
> method: scribbling around the rim of a disk with a felt-tip marker.
> >
> > Internet newsgroups have been circulating news of the discovery for the
> past
> > week, and in typical newsgroup style, users have pilloried Sony for
> > deploying "hi-tech" copy protection that can be defeated by paying a
visit
> > to a stationery store.
> >
> > "I wonder what type of copy protection will come next?" one posting on
> > alt.music.prince read. "Maybe they'll ban markers."
> >
> > Sony did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
> >
> > Major music labels, including Sony and Universal Music, have begun
selling
> > the "copy-proof" discs as a means of tackling the rampant spread of
music
> > piracy, which they claim is eating into sales.
> >
> > The new technology aims to prevent consumers from copying, or "burning,"
> > music onto recordable CDs or onto their computer hard drives, which can
> then
> > be shared with other users over file-sharing Internet services such as
> Kazaa
> > or Morpheus MusicCity.
> >
> > SONY AGGRESSIVE ANTI-PIRACY PUSH
> >
> > Monday, Reuters obtained an ordinary copy of Celine Dion's newest
release
> "A
> > New Day Has Come," which comes embedded with Sony's "Key2Audio"
> technology.
> >
> > After an initial attempt to play the disc on a PC resulted in failure,
the
> > edge of the shiny side of the disc was blackened out with a felt tip
> marker.
> > The second attempt with the marked-up CD played and copied to the hard
> drive
> > without a hitch.
> >
> > Internet postings claim that tape or even a sticky note can also be used
> to
> > cover the security track, typically located on the outer rim of the
disc.
> > And there are suggestions that copy protection schemes used by other
music
> > labels can also be circumvented in a similar way.
> >
> > Sony's proprietary technology, deployed on many recent releases, works
by
> > adding a track to the copy-protected disc that contains bogus data.
> >
> > Because computer hard drives are programmed to read data files first,
the
> > computer will continuously try to play the bogus track first. It never
> gets
> > to play the music tracks located elsewhere on the compact disc.
> >
> > The effect is that the copy-protected disc will play on standard CD
> players
> > but not on computer CD-Rom drives, some portable devices and even some
car
> > stereo systems.
> >
> > Some Apple Macintosh users have reported that playing the disc in the
> > computer's CD drive causes the computer to crash. The cover of the
> > copy-protected discs contain a warning that the album will not play on
> > Macintoshes or other personal computers.
> >
> > Apple has since posted a warning on its website at:
> >
>
http://kbase.info.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/kbase.woa/wa/query?searchMode
> > -Assisted&type-id&val-KC.106882.
> >
> > Sony Music Europe has taken the most aggressive anti-piracy stance in
the
> > business. Since last fall, the label has shipped more than 11 million
> > copy-protected discs in Europe, with the largest proportion going to
> > Germany, a market label executives claim is rife with illegal
CD-burning.
> >
> > J.J. Meddaugh - jj at bestmidi.com
> >
> >
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> >
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
> --
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