Vista Protected Media Path DRM broken?

[joepic]

Read all about it here:
http://www.alex-ionescu.com/?p=24

Here are several comments from different sources:

"Security researcher Alex Ionescu claims to have successfully bypassed the much discussed DRM protection in Windows Vista, called 'Protected Media Path' (PMP), which is designed to seriously degrade the playback quality of any video and audio running on systems with hardware components not explicitly approved by Microsoft. The bypass of the DRM protection was in turn performed by breaking the Driver Signing / PatchGuard protection in the new operating system. Alex is now quite nervous about what an army of lawyers backed by draconian copyright laws could do to him if he released the details, but he claims to be currently looking into the details of safely releasing his details about this at the moment though."
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It sounds like we may have another name to add to the pantheon of anti-DRM digital freedom fighters: Alex Ionescu, who’s claiming his driver signing bypass method allows end users to bypass Vista’s Protected Media Path DRM (the junky stuff that prevents you from watching “premium” content and HD material on non-HDCP outputs, like component, VGA, older HDMI TVs, etc.) Using Alex’s technique (which has yet to be released to the general public, for fear of going the way of our man Viodentia), no unsigned drivers are loaded in the process, thereby convincing the media applications that are scanning for anti-DRM “badware” that everything’s peachy, go ahead and output that signal even though it may be through the analog hole. We’ll all be waiting, Alex, for you to move to Sealand so you can release the hack, we’ve got a lot of HD DVD and Blu-ray movies to watch, and not a lot of patience for HDCP-carrying gear
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I’m highly confident that given what driver signing means for PMP that MS did this for the sole purpose of DRM.
Reading through some MS material, it’s clear that their goal with DRM is to lock people onto windows just as iTunes has people on iPod. They want to ensure that if a users is going to want to play any type of media on a PC or laptop that it must be running Intel ziiv with MS windows vista.

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Vista’s DRM is probably it’s most controversial ‘feature’. It reduces the functionality, and increases the cost of your computer. Now comes news that one day before Vista is released to the public, its DRM and Protected Media Path (PMP) have been cracked.

While this is only a first step, in allowing users the ability to play legally purchased HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, and other ‘premium content’ on an insecure system without HDCP (which is 99% of current computers), it will only get easier to to completely bypass Vista’s DRM as easy-to-use tools are made available on line.

Combined with the recent HD-DVD and Blu-Ray cracks it seems that it will be quite easy to watch HD contend on Vista computers.

[mats.hogberg]

Plese continue here:
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=321147

/Mats