Tech: Encryption and Satellites (re: GI)
We need to learn more about these technology and if any are based on Clipper: As reported in the April 11th issue of Electronic Media: The satellite pirates are finally getting the message... owners of satellite dishes and unauthorized decoding technology are converting to authorized equipment in droves... Key pay cable providers are now going though the second stage of moving from General Instrument's Video Cipher II (VC II) encryption system to its more secure VideoCipher Renewable Security (VCRS) system. Adopting VCRS are HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, TMC, Viewer's choice, REquest TV, Playboy channel, Spice, and Netlink. Netline offers three superstations. "There have been 30,000 to 40,000 conversion customers a month for the past for months." Meanwhile, with the digital era in mind, Primestar Partners is preparing to move its DBS (direct broadcast satellite) from Scientific-Atlanta's analog B-Mac encryption to General Instrument's DigiCipher digital compression technology, which also provides teh most recent security meansures. Primstar expects to start phasing in DigiCipher in January. "We have the ability to make changes to the security as we move forward." The French pay TV service Canal Plus International is developing its own digital system in association with broadcasters in Germany and spain. Hughes' (hi Eric), DIRECTV plans to launch next year with News Datacom Conditional Acesss and Authorization Control system... A spokesperson for New Datacom said the basis for the technology is an algorithm with an efficient proof-of-identity scheme. .... have products for both analog and digital encryption. Harry Shapiro Hawk Manager of Computer Services Warwick Baker & Fiore habs@uucp.warwick.com
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Key pay cable providers are now going though the second stage of moving from General Instrument's Video Cipher II (VC II) encryption system to its more secure VideoCipher Renewable Security (VCRS) system.
VCII and VCII+ both use DES. VC/RS uses a plug-in card; right now the RS cards are all still DES. An interesting note is that the VC family uses digital sound and encrypts it. You can allegedly reconstruct the vertical sync signal and get watchable pictures, but for sound you either need to break DES or exploit a system vulnerability.
Adopting VCRS are HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, TMC, Viewer's choice, REquest TV, Playboy channel, Spice, and Netlink. Netlink offers three superstations.
All of the above are presently VCII+ customers. There were several such design and implementation vulnerabilities in the VCII system, and they were quickly exploited by pirates. As a counter, GI introduced the VCII+, which has fewer vulnerabilities and has not yet (AFAIK) been "broken". (n.b. I know that the use of "wizard codes", or master keys, still continues, but I don't really count that as a break.)
"There have been 30,000 to 40,000 conversion customers a month for the past for months."
Part of the reason behind the conversion is necessity. Programmers were downlinking both VCII and VCII+ authorization datastreams for a while. When VC/RS became available, some programmers switched over to downlinking VCII+ and VC/RS. When the VCII+ datastreams go dark, VCII+ descramblers won't work.
Meanwhile, with the digital era in mind, Primestar Partners is preparing to move its DBS (direct broadcast satellite) from Scientific-Atlanta's analog B-Mac encryption to General Instrument's DigiCipher digital compression technology, which also provides teh most recent security meansures.
GI has been very, very tightlipped about any of the compression or encryption technology behind DigiCipher. - -Paul - -- Paul Robichaux, KD4JZG | Out the 10Base-T port, through the router, perobich@ingr.com | over the leased line, off the bridge, past Intergraph Federal Systems | the firewall... nothing but net. Of course I don't speak for Intergraph. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.3a iQCVAgUBLa0+OiA78To+806NAQEJAQQAiS7q/xO+EI44NlVh2KBeP3e8/wBzD9HO L59ez9oSWV8etUfyokbbNcjHT5xbKImuN3oUxYGA7A0s0eGc/IGQfgTJ2Dn7qITN UyKNXuBm3l2wkKj0szp723lQSRjWJp7cIVFy0lbDZEA0yIzAyMC5WPWFunYE9ND3 hTzLxbY5Jdk= =WtA3 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
participants (2)
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Harry Shapiro Hawk -
paul＠poboy.b17c.ingr.com