DRM license - what is it on your phone and computer? DRM and DRM-free and the idea of fighting DRM is spreading

After I read the post about how, I immediately remembered a similar incident. Somehow, when I opened a regular mp3 file, instead of the playback starting, to my surprise, an unknown web page opened. The most interesting thing is that the page was opened in Internet Explorer"e (despite the fact that another browser was installed by default), but on that page, the author of the file could have added some special exploit for IE.

At that moment, I didn’t think about the page with the exploit, and instead of carefully analyzing the file and figuring out what the problem was, I simply deleted it. The only thing I thought about when I saw the unusual behavior of the system was that someone was promoting their site in a rather original way. Several years have passed, but since then I have not encountered such cases. After reading the article about the video virus, I decided that at least this time I would not miss the opportunity to find out how safe some of the most harmless and common files in the whole world are.

Video File

And since the respected TipTop left a comment indicating a link to the file, I didn’t waste time and quickly downloaded the torrent file. But I was not alone - at the same time as me, the same video file was downloaded by about 15 other people who, I thought, also want to analyze it. But now I realized that most likely most of them had other intentions and they did not know that there would be no movie today.

After the download was completed, knowing that other players could not play this file, I immediately opened it in Windows Media Player, and the first thing I saw was the message: “Download media usage rights”:

After this, a more convincing message appeared offering to download the License-Installer file which, by the way, had already been scanned by an antivirus and turned out to be 100% clean:

After carefully viewing the message, clicked on the “Download Now” button and, while waiting for some reaction from the antivirus, I saw a familiar window offering to download a file from the server license.compress.to:

And then the first question arose, if the server is indicated in the first window free-license.imgpop.com, then why does this wonderful file suggest downloading a license from the server? license.compress.to? To find out what the problem was, I visited both sites, hoping to find something tasty there, but as one would expect, I found nothing there.

DRM protection

After that, the first thing that came to mind was “run a sniffer,” but I refrained (and did the right thing) - deciding to open the file in a Hex editor. I opened a file in a Hex editor that weighed 150 MB and, fortunately for me, everything was very simple, because already on the 20th line I found this piece of text:

It became much more interesting. Opened the page http://free-license.imgpop.com/venuf.php?id=Movie_0001.wmv which redirected (HTTP/1.1 302) to the page: http://free-license.imgpop.com/venuf/index.htm, and there I saw a familiar picture, only a little bigger, and even in the browser:

So far everything was going well and wanting to experiment a little, I decided to change the link from the video file to my own. But, seeing that after changing the line, even WMP could not open the file and not knowing what to do, he asked Google if he could tell what this line was, WRMHEADER version="2.0.0.0", which (among many others) I found using the Hex editor?

The answer was short and clear as daylight - I am dealing with DRM protection of video files. That is, I discovered how, using legal and quite convincing methods, attackers can successfully and confidently distribute malicious files, because: firstly, no antivirus will detect that a video file is infected, and secondly, most users trust Microsoft and will definitely run such files.

Moreover, WMP is not the only player that can open DRM protected files. I didn’t find a complete list of players, but I can say with confidence that Nero ShowTime supports DRM, only unlike WMP it reacts more carefully... only if you confirm the download of the license, the web page opens in IE (despite the fact that it is not a browser default).

Now comes the fun part: if you change the file extension from .wmv V .asf or in .wma, nothing will change, that is, players will still play the media file and, what’s most dangerous, in most cases, .wma files will be opened in Windows Media Player. By the way, I forgot to say that after I opened the video file in the Hex editor, for convenience, I deleted unnecessary bytes and as a result the file size became 5.31KB.

Internet Explorer

Probably many people think that “There is no danger in this! I will not download any licenses! And anyway, what do Internet Explorer, WMP and video files have to do with it?” At first I thought so too, because there is a “Cancel” button, but as it turned out, the danger is not small, and “Cancel” will not save anyone if the file was opened in WMP. And Internet Explorer is a browser, software for viewing websites...

I found information that you can hack DRM protection, but I didn’t do it. Firstly, I didn’t know whether it would be possible to change the link, and secondly, I chose the easier way. In file hosts added the line:
127.0.0.1 free-license.imgpop.com

To the root local server created a file venuf.php and using WMP opened the video clip - after a few seconds the following message appeared:

Further, with the help alert(), decided to try to see if it supports JavaScript - as a result I got a blank page. I thought that it really didn’t work, but using my intuition, I quickly changed the function alert() on document.write(). The result made me smile: this time the page was not empty, which means Windows Media Player supports JavaScript.

Now, the thought that the media player can open web pages, and even supports JavaScript, haunted me. Wanting to find out what this extraordinary player is, I added it to the file venuf.php line:
echo $_SERVER["HTTP_USER_AGENT"];
and even though I have MSIE 8.0 installed, I received the following message:

Finally, I decided to test one exploit for MSIE, written in JavaScript, which causes a denial of service in the browser. I added the exploit to the page, opened the video file and before I could blink, Windows declared that “Windows Media Player has stopped working”:

As you understand, when trying to play a video file, WMP was forcibly disabled, which means that it is vulnerable to an exploit designed for MSIE. I only tested one exploit, but it was enough to change my understanding of media file security.

Instead of a postscript

Having written last lines this article, suddenly an idea came to me: download, install and test one of the most popular multimedia players - Winamp. That's what I did... And when I tried to play the file, the following message appeared:

I was almost sure that everything would be the same as with Nero ShowTime, but curiosity made me click on the “Yes” button... Instead of launching IE, I saw the following:

I didn’t immediately understand what the problem was, thinking that anything could happen, but after a few seconds, I remembered what was in the file venuf.php The exploit code for MSIE remains. Next, using the variable $HTTP_USER_AGENT I found out that, just like WMP, Winamp uses MSIE 7 Internet Explorer for its purposes:

True, unlike Windows Media Player, Winamp does not warn where the license file will be downloaded from, but allows you to right-click and view source code pages... and also alerts are triggered for it:

Conclusion

At first glance, not everything is as scary as it seems, but I want to draw your attention to the fact that by opening such a file, the user will not be able to stop the exploit from running, and the anti-virus program is not able to help, since if this is a new exploit, then Most likely, it has not yet been added to the antivirus database.

Just don’t forget that not all users have other audio and video players installed. Also, I’m far from believing that the user who waited 2 hours (in best case scenario) to download the long-awaited file, seeing that it does not play, he will simply delete it, and no amount of “do not open files in this player!” will help.

UPD:

Protection

To significantly reduce the risk of possible attacks, I recommend disabling automatic license acquisition for DRM-protected files in WMP. To do this, open Options(Options) and in the tab Confidentiality(Privacy) uncheck the box " Obtain licenses automatically for protected content" (Download usage right automatically when I play or sync a file):

In this article we will look at what it is DRM license on Android and how to remove its protection, or reset DRM.

This article is suitable for all brands that produce phones on Android 9/8/7/6: Samsung, HTC, Lenovo, LG, Sony, ZTE, Huawei, Meizu, Fly, Alcatel, Xiaomi, Nokia and others. We are not responsible for your actions.

What is DRM?

Digital Rights Management (DRM) literally translates as “management digital rights" Control is realized by placing different technical means to create obstacles to the illegal disposal of the program.

The owner can use the protected product only for personal purposes; the user will not be able to sell or copy it. DRM is essentially a kind of digital lock, to which the key must be purchased from the copyright holder.

The DRM key for gaining access has the form of a code, the creation of which uses cryptographic algorithms. It is difficult to hack, and you can only gain access after purchasing a licensed digital product. This technology on Android it is implemented this way:

The user purchases new gadget, into which the manufacturer installs certain software.
After launching and activating the device, the software will work in free demo mode. When the trial period ends, the application will stop functioning and will require you to purchase a license.

Purchasing access to a full version of the program is an element of DRM. This is only one of the likely options; there are other examples of protection.

We look at information about DRM

To view information about the requirements different programs, what applications will the removal of licenses affect, whether the gadget supports the technologies that are necessary for normal operation services, follow mobile device install DRM Info. The application publishes data about DRM components, indicating whether they are supported on gadgets.

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Using this information, you can determine whether you should purchase licensed apps or premium accounts. For example, in order to be able to play videos in Full HD and 4K format on Netflix, you need level 1 of Google Widevine.

Many devices come with the third level, it turns out that there is no point in spending money on a premium account, because... There will be no improvement in quality here - the device does not support the necessary technologies.

Resetting DRM licenses on Android

The process for resetting DRM licenses depends on the specific license. Using various hacker software you can:

Reset program launch counters that have DRM protection.
Unlink similar types of files from certain Internet resources.
Remove key verification using software, etc.

IN Android user has the ability to reset all DRM licenses loaded on the gadget:

Go to “Settings”.
There we select “Backup and reset”.
Then click on “DRMreset”.

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This option must be used quite carefully, because... If you purchased software with this license, you will lose access to it after resetting the DRM settings. This option should be used in special conditions, for example, if the device is sold.

How to remove DRM protection

Many Android software developers lately often face protests from users regarding the inconvenience of digital licenses. Despite this, it is still used in many products, including multimedia files, mobile applications etc.

Let's look at the main options that allow you to remove the DRM “digital lock” from the most common file types:

Use of specialized utilities. For example, free software “DRM Removal” or “DRM Media Converter” can deactivate protection from a large number of popular file types. This includes documents with extensions: .ASF, .M4V, .M4B, .WMV and many others.
Using converters to convert files protected by a digital license. Similar applications include: Note Burner, Sound Taxi, Digital Music Converter, etc., available on the Internet. Although they are used for a small range of extensions, once converted, a completely "clean file" is available to users.
Application of CD and DVD discs. Files with the WMA and WMV extension can be simply and easily removed from digital protection if you have a computer and a blank disk at hand. It is enough to burn WMV to DVD, WMA to CD, and then copy them back to the PC. The DRM license will then be removed from the files.

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In many situations, you can find a free alternative to DRM-protected software. By purchasing a paid version of the software from the developers, you guarantee the ability to use all the options and capabilities of the program.

Today we will tell you about DRM protection. Find out what this DRM technology is and its license. We will try to answer your question: “How to remove DRM protection?” and “How to reset DRM?” Why regular users and critics don’t like DRM that much? All about the interesting decision to protect your products and copyrights.

DRM- abbreviation for Digital Rights Management and translated means “digital rights management.” It is another anti-piracy technology. DRM is used by copyright holders to control access to and copying of their works. Specifically, DRM gives programmers, musicians and filmmakers remote control over how people install, listen to, view and duplicate their digital files.

So, DRM is a broad term that describes various technical means. Essentially, DRM is a digital lock on a file. These locks are called "licensed encryption keys." These locks contain complex mathematical codes that prevent unauthorized use or copying of the file. Those who pay or have some kind of “privileges” receive unlock codes.

In more severe cases, DRM - technical feasibility to remotely delete files. Surprisingly, the vast majority of customers in the US and Europe agree with this technology.

DRM protection is a rather ambiguous thing

The programmer or musician decides how and when you can use your files. You can even argue that the file you buy, in principle, does not belong to you. When people learn the truth about DRM protection and their civil liberties, many of them are outraged that they no longer own their song, movie or software.

One can understand the manufacturer; he has every right to protect and cover his costs for the production of each copy of his work. However, large number errors that arise in such a system makes you think about the correctness of its design. How to find out which files have DRM digital locks? Experience shows that files are protected next type:

If you are using a WMA file;
Do you need special software or specific music player for reproduction;
The number of computers on which the program can be downloaded is limited;
The number of attempts to burn a file to a CD is limited;
You need a special password or login ID before you can run the file;
Before you can play the file, you need to receive a special letter for this.

The delivery of DRM files to the user can be observed in various forms:

Packaging - the lock is already built into the software, music or video file;
DRM encrypted files are supplied directly by the manufacturer. As a rule, the transfer occurs through a web server and email;
License - such locks are on all files that require a license to run, we can get it by paying for it.
Partial license - such files include programs that we have encountered many times. These are various antiviruses, applications for converting or synchronizing your phone with a PC. Trial period can be in the form of a number of downloads, or in the form of a countdown of days after installation. After this period has expired, we are offered to download the full version of the program.

These types of locks are becoming more complex every day. Today MP3 files do not have digital locks. But accessing MP3 files is becoming more difficult every day. Companies such as Google and Apple have already begun to develop our Internet spaces for the opportunity to obtain maximum profits. Are being created music services for Android and iOS, where you can get access to high-quality audio recordings for a fee. But until the music market is completely captured, iTunes, AmazonMP3, GoogleMusic and other large music stores will offer their products without any digital rights management.

In the United States, a big scandal recently arose due to the fact that Amazon Kindle remotely removed books from the digital library of its readers. In our area we are not particularly afraid DRM protection, we can’t download it in one place, we’ll do it in another. But the current trend is leading to the fact that even the government is seriously interested in the possibility of “cleansing” the Runet of everything pirated and giving more digital rights to service providers.

Some phone users encounter incomprehensible menu settings on their devices. One of these is Android DRM License Reset. What this process is and whether it is necessary is described in this article.

What is DRM

Digital Rights Management (in the Russian version - “Technical means of copyright protection”) is a technology that allows authors to protect their digital products from piracy. In the case of Android, these are applications.

The protection process is carried out through the programmer introducing certain technical means into the software that prevent illegal use. As a result, a person uses the software only for personal needs and cannot copy or transfer it to other people.

DRM license is the key that opens the digital lock of the application. It is designed using complex cryptographic algorithms to prevent easy hacking.

Important! Hacking or circumventing DRM protection is against the law and will result in civil and administrative penalties in most countries.

The principle of operation of the technology:

A person purchases a smartphone or tablet with special software from the developer installed (in addition to the OS).
After turning on and activating the device, preinstalled programs work in demo mode for a limited period (week, month). After its expiration, the software stops functioning and offers to purchase the full version and a DRM license for it.

Resetting licenses

The main purpose of the reset function is to stop using the purchased software.

Important! Hard system reset does not affect purchased licenses, and deleting the latter does not affect the performance of the OS, but will prohibit the use of programs protected by DRM technology.

After this, reboot your device if this is affected pre-installed applications.

Pay attention! At the moment, DRM is losing its relevance due to imperfect protection. Android 6 and above do not have a reset feature.

Conclusions

DRM license is a right of use full version software, which is purchased from its copyright holder. The license reset function allows you to abandon such software without affecting the performance of Android.

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a technology that enables online video and audio services to enforce that the content they provide is used in accordance with their requirements. This technology may restrict some of the things you can do in the browser. While some DRM-controlled content can be viewed using the Adobe Flash plugin, many services are moving towards HTML5 video that requires a different DRM mechanism called a Content Decryption Module (CDM).

Playing DRM-controlled content in Firefox

Firefox for desktop supports the Google Widevine CDM for playing DRM-controlled content. Firefox downloads and enables the Google Widevine CDM by default to give users a smooth experience on sites that require DRM.Firefox downloads and enables the Google Widevine CDM on demand, with user permission, to give users a smooth experience on sites that require DRM. The CDM runs in a separate container called a sandbox and you will be notified when a CDM is in use. You can also disable a CDM and opt out of future updates by following the steps below. Once you disable a CDM, however, sites using this type of DRM may not operate properly.

Disable the Google Widevine CDM without uninstalling

Disabling Google Widevine from the Add-ons Manager prevents it from running on your computer and prevents future updates from downloading. To disable this CDM plugin:

You may encounter sites where content playback is not possible without Google Widevine enabled. You may always turn Google Widevine on again by selecting Always Activate on the menu next to Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc.

Opt out of CDM playback, uninstall CDMs and stop all CDM downloads

You have the choice to globally opt out of HTML5 DRM playback. Once you opt out, Firefox will delete any downloaded CDMs from your hard drive, cease all future CDM downloads and disable DRM playback. This affects only DRM-controlled HTML5 audio and video. To opt out of HTML5 DRM playback completely, follow these steps:

Note: You will still be able to view DRM-controlled content that requires the Adobe Flash plugin, if installed and enabled in Firefox. The Play DRM-controlled content setting only controls HTML5 DRM playback, not plugins.

You may encounter sites where content playback is not possible without DRM enabled. You can always turn DRM playback on again by opening the Firefox Options Preferences General panel and, under Digital Rights Management (DRM) Content, putting a check mark next to Play DRM-controlled content. After checking the checkbox, HTML5 DRM playback will be re-enabled and the Google Widevine CDM will download automatically.