Encryption source code, will it help?

[whohas]

Since I last checked back here a year ago or so, it appears that no progress has been made (with firmware updates) to get access to premium channels through starview hd combo (and i guess other) boxes due to the new nagra they shoved out.

So I ask, theoretically, if the encryption files used for the official virgin media boxes firmware to escape to the public somehow...would it help at all in cracking the NG so people can have access to prem channels again with 3rd party boxes, or have they completely changed the way they do encryption? ( I cant remember all the details of the big NG chance )

[quavis]

use the combo on the sat side... google sat cs

[clio1]

Originally Posted by whohas

Since I last checked back here a year ago or so, it appears that no progress has been made (with firmware updates) to get access to premium channels through starview hd combo (and i guess other) boxes due to the new nagra they shoved out.

So I ask, theoretically, if the encryption files used for the official virgin media boxes firmware to escape to the public somehow...would it help at all in cracking the NG so people can have access to prem channels again with 3rd party boxes, or have they completely changed the way they do encryption? ( I cant remember all the details of the big NG chance )

Regardless of that wont help the combo, as that box is closed sourced and as such nobody but Sv have that and they are not going to just hand it over.

[TheCoder]

Originally Posted by whohas

So I ask, theoretically, if the encryption files used for the official virgin media boxes firmware to escape to the public somehow...would it help at all in cracking the NG so people can have access to prem channels again with 3rd party boxes, or have they completely changed the way they do encryption? ( I cant remember all the details of the big NG chance )

Pretty much all the decryption stuff is done in the card so there's not really a lot in the box thats of much interest. Possibly a bit of card pairing stuff but you still need to know a lot about the card even to get that working.

So, yes, they've completely changed the encryption when they moved to N3 !

[whohas]

Originally Posted by clio1

Regardless of that wont help the combo, as that box is closed sourced and as such nobody but Sv have that and they are not going to just hand it over.

huh? SV has the source code for virgin? pls excuse my ignorance but im confused what you are saying..


maybe i explained my question wrong..

virgimmedia created ng3 encryption to scramble the channels, it has not been cracked, if somebody had this encryption algorithms, could it not just be applied to this box in a firmware update like we have been doing so many years? or, is the type of encryption now implimented make it physically impossible to program these old boxes to use it?

The reason i ask is that I know somebody... (without going into details for their and my security) working in the business related to STBs for virgin who claims they regularly use the encryption files sent to them by virgin, and if these were to escape to the public, would they be useful to anybody making 3rd party boxes.

[whohas]

"SV has the source codee" == i mean NG3 source code (can't edit post for some reason)

[TheCoder]

Originally Posted by whohas

virgimmedia created ng3 encryption to scramble the channels, it has not been cracked, if somebody had this encryption algorithms, could it not just be applied to this box in a firmware update like we have been doing so many years? or, is the type of encryption now implimented make it physically impossible to program these old boxes to use it?

If you could get such a thing then i'm usre it would be useful but, as I said above, all the really useful stuff is embedded within the card.

The reason i ask is that I know somebody... (without going into details for their and my security) working in the business related to STBs for virgin who claims they regularly use the encryption files sent to them by virgin, and if these were to escape to the public, would they be useful to anybody making 3rd party boxes.

Believe me, nobody at VM has access to the source code for the cards. Its doubtful they have access to the source code for the stb's (it would tend to reside with the manufacturers). Its likely the only code VM have is their 'middleware' module which they likely pass to the stb manufacturers for inclussion in a finished firmware (along with the Kudelski pre-compiled CAM libraries).

Even firmware signing isn't available to VM. They have to send potential firmwares to Kudelski for signing.