Indeed, constant execution time, block padding, resource use
obfuscation... it all helps, but in the end different bit patterns
moving around produce different EM waves and advanced DSP methods can
remove noise and find those patterns.
What do they say? Possession is nine tenths of the law.
If I have it in one hand and some time on the other, eventually I'll
find out how it works. A security posture based on any other
assumption is naive. Which is why appliance computing and DRM using
"trusted consumer modules" is a fools errand.
Is it really? The Xbox One has been around for years and yet online cheating is non-existent. The only way that's possible is if no one has extracted the enclave private keys to sign modified data. And game hackers are notorious for going the extra mile (development Xboxes have been physically stolen from Microsoft headquarters in Redmond) so it must be very difficult.
The keys are in the Xbox, where else would they be? Each console has a unique endorsement key burned in at silicon level.
This is also how undefeatable hardware bans can be issued, blocklisting the key.
DRM works in practice. Most users end up not side-loading things on their phones or playing homebrew on their consoles, even though it's theoretically possible.
Because piracy is not a problem of price, but problem of convenience.
If I can buy an album DRM-Free for a good price, I'd buy it. Same for books, games, or anything digital.
If I can make personal copies by stripping the DRM without quality reduction, that works too.
People producing these things pour blood sweat and tears into these things, and they have bills to pay. They deserve to get compensated for what they do.
I started with music, let me end with one example. An amateur symphony orchestra needs to give 14 full weekends for a 2 hour concert. That thing is hard.
It is very much a problem of convenience. I paid for the Sims 4. It required me to use the EA launcher, which wasn't only slow, it was buggy and crashed constantly. So I pirated the game and played that way instead, despite having access to a legal copy. No launchers, no account sign in, no ads. Plenty of other people happily cut out the middle man and go straight to piracy.
Comments
Indeed, constant execution time, block padding, resource use obfuscation... it all helps, but in the end different bit patterns moving around produce different EM waves and advanced DSP methods can remove noise and find those patterns.
What do they say? Possession is nine tenths of the law.
If I have it in one hand and some time on the other, eventually I'll find out how it works. A security posture based on any other assumption is naive. Which is why appliance computing and DRM using "trusted consumer modules" is a fools errand.
Is it really? The Xbox One has been around for years and yet online cheating is non-existent. The only way that's possible is if no one has extracted the enclave private keys to sign modified data. And game hackers are notorious for going the extra mile (development Xboxes have been physically stolen from Microsoft headquarters in Redmond) so it must be very difficult.
I assume the enclave private keys are not on the Xbox One. Pretty sure GP was talking about extracting keys from devices that have the keys on them.
The keys are in the Xbox, where else would they be? Each console has a unique endorsement key burned in at silicon level. This is also how undefeatable hardware bans can be issued, blocklisting the key.
DRM works in practice. Most users end up not side-loading things on their phones or playing homebrew on their consoles, even though it's theoretically possible.
Even piracy is way down, to my dismay.
Because piracy is not a problem of price, but problem of convenience.
If I can buy an album DRM-Free for a good price, I'd buy it. Same for books, games, or anything digital.
If I can make personal copies by stripping the DRM without quality reduction, that works too.
People producing these things pour blood sweat and tears into these things, and they have bills to pay. They deserve to get compensated for what they do.
I started with music, let me end with one example. An amateur symphony orchestra needs to give 14 full weekends for a 2 hour concert. That thing is hard.
It is very much a problem of convenience. I paid for the Sims 4. It required me to use the EA launcher, which wasn't only slow, it was buggy and crashed constantly. So I pirated the game and played that way instead, despite having access to a legal copy. No launchers, no account sign in, no ads. Plenty of other people happily cut out the middle man and go straight to piracy.
It can be interpreted as having a personal backup copy, because a) you already paid, and b) you don’t distribute the unprotected copy you have.