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Microsoft’s digital rights management (DRM) for Windows Media protected files has been broken, according to news sources. A new program can strip the protection from the files, leaving them with unrestricted uses. That is, until Microsoft closes the hole.
A program called Fairuse4wm has been posted on the net and is apparently capable of breaching Microsoft’s Digital Rights Management (DRM) system.
It could spell problems for internet music shops, potentially enabling users to download unlimited files.
However, an analyst said Microsoft was probably working to “close the hole”.
And Microsoft [i]will[/i] close the hole. Their DRM system can be dynamically, seamlessly updated. What’s significant about this development is not just that people can “free” their restricted files for the next few days until Microsoft fixes the problem. It also means that now that DRM has been cracked once, more hackers will likely get into the game, and breaches of DRM could become more common. Perhaps most importantly, it is a clear signal the people are not ready to kick the free (or at least, unrestricted) music habit anytime soon, and companies that embrace that fact may be putting themselves in a more realistic position.
In a related story, the world’s largest music group is allowing its music to be downloaded for free from an advertisement-supported service: Link
Source: BBC News
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