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Backup HDDVD Interview

As the name implies, BackupHDDVD is a program that allows users to copy HD DVD movies. The program is significant because it thwarted the impenetrable HD DVD DRM AACS (Advanced Access Content System) by simply going around it. Rather than breaking AACS'copy protection, BackupHDDVD attacks HD DVDs from the content protection side.

Written by an anonymous programmer using the handle Muslix64, BackupHDDVD is distributed with none of the cryptographic keys necessary for decryption. Users wanting to use the software to decrypt a protected disc's contents must obtain the appropriate keys separately, a task with which neither the original author nor his or her versions of BackupHDDVD assist with.

BackupHDDVD represented the first known successful attack against AACS. The utility circumvents content protection by decrypting video files directly with AES, the underling cryptographic cipher used by AACS. Using this technique, BackupHDDVD is able to completely bypass the AACS chain of trust, rendering it immune to revocation. The cost of this immunity is that users are forced to rely on keys leaking from commercial player software to use BackupHDDVD with new discs

If you're still scratching your head over all the hoopla caused by the release of BackupHDDVD then check out this interview with muslix64, the developer of the program. I won't guarantee that it'll answer all, or any, of your questions, but it's a decent read for anyone interested in HD DVD.

Tags: backup HDDVD