Microsoft DRM Code for Netflix Streams Hacked

reddburn writes "Macworld has posted a story by IDN News Service about a hacker who posted instructions for saving streaming movies from Netflix, defeating Microsoft's DRM code designed to prevent users from saving the content. From the article: 'A hacker who calls himself Dizzie wrote late last month on the Rorta hacking forum that "Netflix doesn't easily allow you to save the flicks and watch them at your leisure because the films are entrapped in some ... Windows Media DRM wrapper," referring to Microsoft's DRM system. Word of his hack spread more widely this week in various blogs and Web sites...He writes that the process for removing the DRM could take a few attempts, and the process does not remove the time limit imposed by Netflix on viewing the content. The Netflix site was down for maintenance early Thursday, although it was unclear if it was related to the hack. The site was back up later Thursday morning.'"

Thursday??

The Netflix site was down for maintenance early Thursday, although it was unclear if it was related to the hack. The site was back up later Thursday morning

Is it still not Thursday? Wonder if the hack still works.

Very depressing that people are now hacking content they paid for :(

Cheers!

Re:Thursday??

No... this is pretty much out-and-outright a rental, presented as such in both the overt advertisement and the fine print. It's up-front explained that you get timed amount of ephemeral streaming video, monthly, as part of your contract with Netflix. To say they're selling you anything is like saying that because you can get a video from Blockbuster for a night, you've "bought" it, and you've got the legal and moral rights to rip a copy-- after all, the ones and zeros are in your house... and if you have gone that far, why not just discard all pretense, fire up BT, and rip them off directly.

Re:Thursday??

What's the difference between this and breaking DRM on a music CD so that you can rip it to MP3 to play on your iPod?

The fact that with a CD, I pay for the ability to listen to it an unlimited number of times, while with this service, I pay for the right to watch the movie a limited number of times (or a limited timespan in which to watch it).

Re:Thursday??

Not the original poster, but I share his sentiment.

The Wiki article is simply incorrect. If you have an optical disc that plays in an audio CD player, but it has DRM on it, it is NOT an audio CD as it does not follow the Red Book standard for audio CDs. It is a different beast which happens to work in some audio CD players.

At first glance, it sounds like a horribly semantic difference, and the two of us seem to be locked in hopeless pedantry, however it's an important difference when it comes to sales of the discs. If the packaging and marketing promote the disc as an audio CD, but it doesn't follow the Red Book standard, they are guilty of false advertising. They have tricked me by calling it an audio CD when it is not one, and may not play in players which expect to find the format of a Red Book audio CD on the disc.

So no. No audio CDs have DRM.

Re:Thursday??

Until I break the time constraint, how does it matter? Why do they need DRM in the first place?

Re:Thursday??

Very depressing that people are now hacking content they paid for :(

Didn't you mean to say:

Very depressing that people are forced to hack content they paid for :(

I wonder if this is the same as Zune DRM?

But then, I wonder if anyone cares!

Huh?

Sounds a lot more like 'bits can be saved'. The *real* DRM, the time limit, is still in place.

Reeltime is cool

I'm a happy customer of Reeltime [reeltime.com]. Streaming online movies, no fuss no crap. They're expanding their library of movies all the time.

Check 'em out.
(not an employee, just a satisfied customer)

A little lesson in DRM:

The more you restrict it, the greater the desire to break it.

Open up, please.

Not new in any way shape or form

This isn't new at all; the DRM crack is still FairUse4WM, which has been around for years, all the "hacker" has down is document how to discover the file URL and download it, nothing more.

DRM hacked? *yawn*

DRM gets hacked all the time. Then repaired, then hacked, then repaired, then hacked, ...

Do we really need a story every time this happens?

Slashdot's story quality is going down the toilet fast.

Why bother?

Okay, if this is to watch the videos on a non-Windows system or if you have being forced into Windows/IE, fine. I'm okay with that as long as you manually adhere to the rental terms and delete the file. I know the reality of that, but on principle I agree that the DRM stripping can be a viable option for fair use for those who don't have or like Windows/IE.

But if anyone wants to do this to download and keep the file, I really have to question WHY?? The only way to do this is if you have a Netflix account. So, if you're hell-bent on keeping a copy, you might as well go through the whole process of having the DVD sent to you and then do a rent-rip-return. At least that way you'll get the whole thing in full DVD quality with all of the bells, whistles, commentaries, and additional material.

Not only do you need a Netflix account, but you also obviously need to have a broadband connection. In that case there are plenty of other outlets from Usenet to P2P to IRC to obtain copies of movies that already have any DRM stripped off.

And if it's a movie that you really would like but don't want to pay $20 for a new DVD, why not just pay $5 for a used DVD from Netflix from whom you already are paying $xx per month for the subscription? I did that for a movie that my wife wanted, and the movie was in our mailbox in three days, complete with Amaray case and cover art.

I honestly don't see why this is a big deal. There are so many other outlets to get movies illegally, even the complete DVD images. I know very well that the Linux crowd would love to make this an example of how people don't want DRM in order to enforce Fair Use with non-Windows systems and I agree with that. But we all know that the conspiracy-loving media, the studios, and the only-pirates-talk-about-removing-DRM-under-the-dis guise-of-Fair-Use crowd (you know who you are, and Slashdot unfortunately has a lot) are going to only look at this as a method of piracy even though there are lots of other ways to do obtain pirated media, including just getting the DVD from Netflix.

DMCA dead by default?

Seems like I see articles like this every other day. Don't these people realize they're going to pay a $2 billion file and go to prison for 1700 years??

Did something happen while I was asleep or is there still a DMCA?

macworld?

Does it strike anyone as strange that the article is on Macworld about how to exploit a Microsoft DRM in an application that only works on Windows?

misleading title

The DRM code wasn't hacked for the site. they simply found a way to download the encrypted movie, and then proceeded to use an existing program that strips the WMP DRM. there isn't a specific DRM for netflix.

netflix needs to control their streams better.

DRM doesn't have to be perfect

As FairPlay has proved, DRM technology does not have to be perfect in order to be effective. If DRM prevents 99.99% of users from pirating movies, then it is a success.

I'm Gonna Be Pissed...

...if these morons cause Netflix to have to shutdown this service before they even get the good content on it. Good fucking grief... just learn to quit stealing shit. It isn't that complicated.

Good DRM?

I understand that people here think all DRM is always bad, but I don't have a problem with Netflix DRM, apart from it making me boot up Windows in a VM. I don't want to buy the damn movie, I just want to watch it once. Now if I was paying $10-20 for the thing I'd be pissed and want to hack it, but I'm paying 13-something a month for DVDs and these downloads. Why someone thinks they are entitled to own a movie they paid about a buck for (depending on how much you value these "free" downloads as part of your account) is beyond me.

WHAT?!?!?

DRM doesn't work?!? STOP THE PRESSES!!!!

This is the part of the post where I defeat the lameness filter that doesn't allow me to post my +1 Funny comment in all caps.

I have a DRM cracking tool

It's called BitTorrent.

Realistically, if NetFlix has a DVD for rent, chances are it's already been ripped to DivX/Xvid and floating around the intertubes.