MS Patent for DRM OS

[Alex Butcher (ukcrypto)]

On Thu, 13 Dec 2001, Matthew Byng-Maddick wrote:

> The other question that comes to mind is: isn't this a bit like the holy
> grail of "tamper-proof" hardware, that you could, in theory, trace the
> operating system code path, on a non-DRM system, and find where it keeps
> the public-key, replacing it with your own, thus allowing you to control
> what "Rights Managed Software" was allowed to run. This would make it
> possible for the user to circumvent every protection that the software
> wanted, because they could then just sign their own...

Thinking about it, I wonder if it's possible to run gdb on VMware whilst 
*it's* running Windows 2003/XXP/whatever??? :)

Let's see 'em detect *that*!

I guess this scheme, like all other copy protection schemes, will be
enough to deter casual rights-infringement, until some moderately clued
and well resourced cracker reverse-engineers it and posts a crack. And 
that's when the DMCA or EUCD takes over...

> MBM

Best Regards,
Alex.
-- 
Alex Butcher         Brainbench MVP for Internet Security: www.brainbench.com
Berkshire, UK      Is *your* company hiring UNIX/Security/Pen. testing folks?
PGP/GnuPG ID:0x271fd950                      http://www.cocoa.demon.co.uk/cv/