From the Frontline: News & Commentary on the "format war"

January 2nd, 2007

Commentary - Is "Muslix" a fake hacker?

[EDIT: 07-02-03 - Since writing this opinion piece over a month ago, I have had a couple of letters telling me that Muslix was going to do a Bluray version too. I would have been prepared to retract my opinion if he DID actually do this, but he never finished this version and seems to have dissappeared, leaving behind widely published interviews in which he mentions BD+ being an extra step of Bluray protection, and an unfinished BD backup program. My opinion is even stronger. I have added my new commentary at the bottom of this story....]

Some of you will have heard about the HD DVD "backup tool" that was released a week ago by a fellow that calls himself "Muslix".

In actuality, this is not an HD DVD "crack" at all, but merely a textbook AACS decoder, which requires that the specific title keys be supplied for each title. It cannot actually "crack" any movie titles, in the way that DVD "backup" programs do.

However, the release by "Muslix" of the specific keys for 5 or so titles, which could be considered insider information, and the timing of his "attack" on the HD DVD format, leads me to WONDER about the true intentions of "Muslix".

In looking at the facts, I have come to the conclusion that this looks more like a case of corporate sabotage, born of desperation, than a case of a true hacker attack. In fact, I think he started working on this HD DVD attack after it was discovered that the PS3 could be used to copy Bluray movies.

Here are some of the things that cause me to question this "Muslix" release and it's timing:

1) Coming only two weeks before the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), at which HD DVD was said to be in a good position for more announcements of support, we consider the "timing" of this action to be highly suspect. In addition, he has done his best to get the maximum publicity for his action by posting videos on youtube and on various forums.

2) "Muslix", as he calls himself, is not even the correct spelling. We feel that this means he is attempting to indicate he is domiciled in Europe, when he is likely actually in the US. (It's "Mueslix", son...)

3) The "hack" that he has released actually equally affects both HD DVD and Bluray, yet he has only released a version to attack HD DVD.

4) As a defence, he claims to only own an HD DVD player, which would indicate to most that he is an exclusive supporter of the HD DVD format. Yet he releases a so-called "tool" like this, and publicises it in a big way, knowing full well the damage that it could cause the format.

5) Remember, the tool he is promoting does not actually "crack" AACS. It is only a textbook implementation of the AACS decoder, which requires codes that it cannot crack. He has been gunning for publicity and overpromising on what the "tool" actually does, thereby leading one to believe that getting publicity for a "weakness" in HD DVD is the only objective he has in mind.

6) YET, "Muslix" has chosen to release a select few HD DVD AACS title codes, but not a tool to crack them, and has only chosen to do so against HD DVD, but not Bluray. We would ask you to note that WERE HE to release a true hacking tool, or release the means by which to crack or expose AACS keys, then he would be exposing the Bluray disc format to the same attack and would LOSE control over his grandstanding.
EDIT: I have been corrected this morning - although "Muslix" (sic) has claimed to be releasing keys, he has not actually done so. The "keys" that some thought appeared in his video were actually just hash values that meant nothing. This further enforces the impression this appears to be a grandstanding PR event.

7) He promises to "release" more HD DVD title codes in the future, which looks more like corporate blackmail to us than anything else. EDIT: corrected "more".

8) How did he obtain these key codes? If it was truly through a weakness in a PC player program as he lets others imply, then why did he not indicate how? Again, this leads us to believe he is just running a publicity campaign, but does not want to lose control and let the "hack" hurt the Bluray format. As long as he does not release Bluray AACS codes also, then he will only be "damaging" the HD DVD format.

9) Cyberlink has now denied that Muslix got the keys via their PowerDVD program, lending credence to Muslix having obtained insider information.

10) Muslix claims to have just "picked up" a copy of the AACS specs and tapped out this program in 8 days, with no previous experience. uh huh....

11) And finally, why did he choose to write the "tool" in Java? The obvious answer is that it is what he is most comfortable with. Given how close the Java camp and Sun are, as an integral part of the Bluray disc association, it seems to indicate, again, that "Muslix" is not actually an HD DVD supporter, but more likely in the Bluray camp. This is a more tenuous conclusion, but a reasonable one nonetheless. Of course, it is possible that using Java was just a "dig" at the HD DVD camp, an "insider joke", if you will. But then this would also indicate that this is an attack on the HD DVD format by desperate Bluray supporters.

So, in my opinion, I feel that "Muslix" is just trying to mount a PR campaign against HD DVD, while trying to maintain control over his "weapon" by not releasing a Bluray version, Bluray Keys, or and actual means to crack the AACS scheme on either HD DVD or Bluray.

And so, in summary, is there enough evidence to believe that "Muslix" is less "hacker hobyist" and more "corporate saboteur"? In my opinion, the answer to that question is a "Yes". Hopefully, we'll find out one day...

[EDIT: 07-02-03 - Since this opinion piece went online one month ago, I've had a couple of emails from people telling me that Muslix64 had said he would write a "bluray" version also. I have been following progress on this, as I would be only too happy to reverse my opinion if Muslix really DID do the same hack to Bluray.

Unfortunately, he has not done so. He wrote "half" a backup program for Bluray, which only decrypts "title" keys for the format. Title keys are easily cancelled, and these "half" a backup program would be shut down by publishers quite easily. Not only that, but decrypting a disc by title key only means that much of the content remains encrypted and won't play - as has been reported by users on Doom9.

He has NOT developed the same "Volume Unique Key" functionality that he did for the HD DVD version and now seems to have dropped out of sight. What he DID do, however, was interview with journalists, one of which was published quite widely. In these interviews he made special mention of the BD+ copy protection of Bluray being and extra step of protection.

So, for the time being, not only do I stand strongly behind my opinion, but that opinion is reinforced.]

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