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View Full Version : Apple Squashes iTunes DRM Hack

Kent Pribbernow
03-23-2005, 12:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.dapreview.net/comment.php?comment.news.1264' target='_blank'>http://www.dapreview.net/comment.php?comment.news.1264</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Until recently, you could use a handy little app called PyMusique to download tracks from the iTunes Music Store and evade the DRM (digital rights management) wrapper that is normally attached. You still had to buy the tracks, but at least, you were getting more of your money's worth with them being free and clear of any restrictions. Apple wasn't too happy about that so yesterday they patched up iTunes and anyone who wants to use the music store from now on will need to download the latest version."</i><br /><br />Didn't take long for Apple to squash this hack. But you can bet it won't be the last attempt to crack iTunes, or other popular DRM-based music services.
Kevin & Beth Remhof
03-23-2005, 01:05 AM
"Until recently, you could use a handy little app called PyMusique to download tracks from the iTunes Music Store and evade the DRM (digital rights management) wrapper that is normally attached. You still had to buy the tracks, but at least, you were getting more of your money's worth with them being free and clear of any restrictions. Apple wasn't too happy about that so yesterday they patched up iTunes and anyone who wants to use the music store from now on will need to download the latest version."

Didn't take long for Apple to squash this hack. But you can bet it won't be the last attempt to crack iTunes, or other popular DRM-based music services.

Well, the "hole" is back (http://www.boingboing.net/2005/03/22/jon_lech_johansens_p.html) again. Seems pretty futile to me. Apple is not going to let problems like these stick around for long.
Felix Torres
03-23-2005, 02:35 AM
As AOL found out with AIM, these kind of spoofing hacks are hard to block.
I suspect Apple is going to have to move the Fairplay DRM-wrapping step upstream to the server. As long as the client receives unwrapped music, the pipeline is vulnerable.