Carry on regardless: BT's attitude to hacked Microsoft software

NEWS BTopenworld is to plough ahead with plans to use Microsoft's digital rights management software despite news that it was hacked yesterday. The telco will use Microsoft's Windows Media Version 2, an element of Windows Media Player, to develop its own player which will underpin its music subscription service. Ben Drury, head of music at BTopenworld, played down the hack, which was revealed yesterday, claiming it was a one-off. He said: "This is an isolated incident - the first in about three to four years. It is not a thing that reoccurs, so is not an issue for us. I spoke to Microsoft within hours of hearing about this and Microsoft are close to announcing a patch for it." An anonymous hacker using the name Beale Screamer posted the source code and DOS utility needed to break the version two of Microsoft's DRM software on the internet. He also posted a detailed explanation of the software's weaknesses and a how-to guide. However, Drury dismissed the posting as "mere theory", claiming they were "mathematical lecture notes" that are beyond the comprehension of normal users. "They were way beyond me," he added. However, he does expect the software to be hacked again. He said: "In all these things you generally find someone who will find a way around it." A source at Gnutella, the online file swapping service, wasn't as confident about the software's durability. Nor did he think that any similar products would fare any better, until they recieved the thumbs-up from users. He said: "This sort of hacking will continue to happen until someone comes up with a DRM system that once and for all works, is easy to use and does not take away the rights of the consumers." BT is currently carrying out internal trails of the music service and expects to roll it out during the first few months of next year. The ISP is one of only two companies allowed to use Microsoft's technology in this way - PressPlay, the joint online music subscription venture between Sony and Vivendi Universal, will launch a service based on the software later this year. Microsoft is planning to issue a patch for the vulnerability and is also considering its legal options.