SDMI AWARDS COMPUTER HACKERS

Computer hacking is bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. Except when the Secure Digital Music Initiative says hacking is good. Good, good, good, good, good. So good, in fact, that the SDMI has awarded a pair of hackers for their skills. Each hacker will receive $5,000 for successfully cracking music protection codes under SDMI consideration.

Back in September, SDMI issued a public challenge for hackers to break into the five copyright protection technologies that it was considering. Out of 447 submissions, two removed the protection systems, both disarming one of the five technologies being considered.

The unnamed proponent whose technology was hacked will be able to examine the security breaches in order to strengthen its system. At this time, all five systems are still under SDMI consideration.

Said SDMI Executive Director Leonard Chiariglione, "We thank everyone who participated, and congratulate the successful challengers. We learned from each submission—successful or not—and the public invitation has given us valuable information about how the technologies might work in the real world. Unfortunately, we learned that most hackers do not look like Angelina Jolie did in ‘Hackers.'"