SlySoft breaches Blu-ray copy protection

by Stevie Smith - Mar 25 2008, 15:10

The unavoidable cracking of Blu-ray’s current copy protection defences has shifted one step forward this week with West Indies software company SlySoft revealing that it has successfully developed a program capable of creating backup security copies of Blu-ray discs apparently protected by BD+.

SlySoft drags down another Blu-ray copy protection barrier. Credit: Blu-ray.

According to SlySoft, its AnyDVD HD 6.4.0.0 disc-copying program exists as marked ascension on the ladder assigned to cracking Blu-ray, with the Advance Access Content System (AACS) rung already scaled during the tail end of 2006.That particular push against Blu-ray’s defences met with considerable resistance by Sony, which tried in vain to prevent the uncovered 32bit AACS processing key from dropping into widespread circulation. In the case of SlySoft’s latest claim of progress, the apparent cracking of Blu-ray’s BD+ protection system is perhaps more notable than the crumbling of AACS considering that industry commentators have previously suggested that BD+ would withstand efforts to circumvent it for around a decade.“We are rather proud to have brought back to earth the highly-praised and previously ‘unbreakable’ BD+,” enthused Peer van Heuen, head of high-definition technologies at SlySoft in an Information Week article. However, van Heuen also conceded that the current sway of Blu-ray titles “have not fully exploited the possibilities of BD+,” and that future media will be bolstered by modified and more honed protection. That being said, the SlySoft exec said the team is “rather relaxed” and “well prepared,” for any forthcoming BD+ developments placed before it.Further to that confident admission on SlySoft’s part, BD+ creator Macrovision has responded by saying that action to ensure improved reaction to cracking attempts is already in the pipeline to combat SlySoft’s progress. “BD+ is a security response system designed to react to security attacks, not prevent them entirely,” explained Macrovision VP and GM Eric Rodli. “As part of this system, updated BD+ security code is continuously developed so that BD+ customers obtain ongoing value from the use of this technology.”

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DVD Copy Software EnthusiastMar 27th, 2008 - 11:43:21

This just goes to show you, consumers will never ever pay multiple times for the same content. The Hollywood studios want us to pay for every format out there, so I have to pay once at the movies, again for DVD, yet again for HD DVD and BluRay, then again for Ipod, PSP and/or Zune, mobile devices, etc. etc. They should stop wasting time on developing 'unbreakable' DRM technologies and START spending some time and money developing a business model that charges reasonable fees. People will pay a reasonable fee for good content. Otherwise, there will always be new DVD copying, converting and ripping software available in the market. FYI, all the best DVD copy software is listed ranked and reviewed at: dvdxcopy.com

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NobodyMar 27th, 2008 - 21:03:56

Could somebody explain me what value I am obtaining from BD+...as a customer? Copy protections prevent customers from copying discs they bought...so I guess that's nothing customers are happy about. I think everybody would love to have a possibility to back up a disc. So is there anything else that's BD+ giving me? I think not. I hope SlySoft breaks every stupid version of BD+ just to piss those 'smart guys' from Macrovision off. One day they say BD+ won't be broken for 10 years, another that they say they knew it would have been broken...

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