BD+ Advanced Countermeasure: How Blu-Ray can hose your machine

[tranCendenZ]

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8193766&&#post8193766

From p. 25 of the April 11, 2006 BDA "Overview of BD-ROM Security" internal presentation, delivered at a BDA conference, concerning the "3 phases of BD+ deployment":

Advanced Countermeasure (when basic countermeasure code does not work)

BD+ includes the ability to load native code (code that runs directly on the player’s host process). It is allowed to deploy it only after countermeasure code cannot address the hack.

So, yes, Parsons, chat up the FUT and Basic Countermeasure components of BD+ all you want. Just don't tell us what really happens when a Basic Countermeasure spawned from a BDA-sanctioned Hack Study fails to achieve its goal. The arrogance of this man never ceases to astound me.

EDIT: Just so we're all on the same page here, there is a distinction between co-called BD+ Content Code (which runs in the BD+ VM) and native code. It's a distinction that I first failed to recognize, as I didn't read the BDA documentation very carefully, and was willing to believe the smoke and mirrors. As the BDA will gleefully tell everyone who will listen, "BD+ Content Code works only while Disc with the code is loaded. After its ejection, Player to return to its state before the code is loaded." Alas, Advanced Countermasures don't have anything to do with BD+ Content Code.

In other words, Sony Rootkit Part 2. Basically if a Blu-Ray disc detects something it doesn't like and can't get rid of it, it can run native code of its choosing (a la rootkit) on your Blu-Ray player/machine and possibly even permanently disable it. Something good to know if you are on the fence between the two formats - note that HD DVD does not include this "feature."

 

[thedude42]

On the one hand I want to think that a company such as sony would learn from their mistakes. But on the other hand in lieu of last year's DRM debachle, I really can't be surprised that such a company with the ethics to do that would cease continuing their aarogant attitude towards the consumer.

All I can hope for at this point is federal intervention, as I understand the feds were not too pleased that the original sony rootkit ended up on so many of their machines the first time around. Loosing the format war over this kind of thing would be nice, but doesn't send the clear message of "You mess with our people, you pay, you are not above the law" of a good ol' DoJ ruling. Ask M$ about that one.