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Norwegian Hacker Cracks iTunes Code
A young Norwegian who became a global hacker hero by writing and distributing a program to crack DVD security codes appears to have struck again, this time against Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes online music service.
Jon Lech Johansen, 19, faces a new trial that starts Tuesday after prosecutors appealed his January acquittal on charges that he violated Norway's data break-in laws with his DeCSS program for DVDs.
Last Friday, a new security-cracking program called QTFairUse was posted -- along with the message "So sue me" -- on a Web site for which Johansen is listed as the registrant, or owner.
The new program circumvents iTunes' anti-copying program, MPEG-4 Advanced Audio Coding, by legally opening and playing a protected music file in QuickTime, but then, essentially, draining the unprotected music data into a new and parallel file.
There are other programs that can circumvent copy protection schemes by capturing analog audio, though that typically causes a loss in quality.
The program on Johansen's site appears to capture unprotected digital data, which could be used to make perfect copies of an unlocked tune.
Catch the full article over at CNN.com
Jon Lech Johansen, 19, faces a new trial that starts Tuesday after prosecutors appealed his January acquittal on charges that he violated Norway's data break-in laws with his DeCSS program for DVDs.
Last Friday, a new security-cracking program called QTFairUse was posted -- along with the message "So sue me" -- on a Web site for which Johansen is listed as the registrant, or owner.
The new program circumvents iTunes' anti-copying program, MPEG-4 Advanced Audio Coding, by legally opening and playing a protected music file in QuickTime, but then, essentially, draining the unprotected music data into a new and parallel file.
There are other programs that can circumvent copy protection schemes by capturing analog audio, though that typically causes a loss in quality.
The program on Johansen's site appears to capture unprotected digital data, which could be used to make perfect copies of an unlocked tune.
Catch the full article over at CNN.com
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