[mythtv-users] SiliconDust to Announce CableCard Product at CES [RUMOR]

Ronald Frazier ron at ronfrazier.net
Thu Jan 7 16:33:12 UTC 2010


> But that's the same basic idea, even if there is another device in the
> chain. The question is how it gets decrypted. I'm assuming the
> decryption key is passed from the cable card to the PC only through an
> authenticated chain, but as I just explained, it wouldn't be difficult
> to extract the key and pretend to be the windows system (ie: rather
> than a man-in-the-middle attack, you are simply killing Alice and
> sending in your look-alike replacement.

To be clear...I'm not thinking for a second that I'm more clever than
the engineers that designed this system. It's just, as someone very
interested in tech security topics, I'm very curious how they think
they've solved this. It seems you'd have to carry the authentication
chain right past the PC to the end device. Perhaps HDCP can provide
this server, but if that were so I don't see what all the fuss up to
now about "only certified system can use cablecard" is all about,
because in such a case, the decryption key would be passed through
encrypted for the HDCP display device, and there was never any threat
from the PC.

-- 
Ron


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