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In an attempt to be more proactive rather than simply reactive, the MPAA has recently approved the DreamStream system and its 2048-bit “military strength” anti-piracy encryption technology to protect content streamed to viewers online.

First introduced to the MPAA in March of 2008 by Laura Tunberg, MGM’s former vice president of intellectual property enforcement, it was since reviewed by the MPAA and found it to be a viable means for securing digital content. Chief development officer for DreamStream, Ulf Diebel, is excited by this acknowledgment of their product.

“We are very excited to have the MPAA stand behind our technology.”

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The world of computer/network security and encryption owes a lot to Bruce Schneier. Not only was he a pioneer in designing some of the early algorithms for protecting data, he has also helped to shine a light on the arcane world of cryptography for a mainstream audience through his writings, media appearances and overall advocacy, which has included Congressional testimony.

So anyone who travels with a laptop would do well to heed the advice he offers in an op-ed piece in the Guardian. Schneier writes about a recent federal court ruling that allows customs agents to search all electronic devices, including laptops, when traveling to the U.S. Other countries like the UK are already doing this, so Schneier offers up some tips for locking off sections of your hard drive through extra encryption. (Encrypting the entire hard drive won’t work, he says, because you’re likely to be asked to type in your password during the search.) There are also reminders to delete, wipe out history trails and use other, easier approaches to protecting privacy.

Schneier acknowledges all this will take a lot more work than business travelers might be used to, but with more advanced devices and technologies for scanning data on hard drives on the way, he believes it will be worth it.

Read [Guardian]

Kingston has introduced one of its most secured data storage device yet with the new DataTraveler BlackBox (DTBB). We’re finally talking about real data security here with a 256-bit hardware-based AES encryption that automatically locks itself after ten unsuccessful password attempts. Even the US Government was excited about the DataTraveler BlackBox, so much so, that it has given it an FIPS certification. FIPS certification is given to data devices which have passed the Federal standard for data management and security.

Going back to the USB drive itself, we learned that it comes in 2GB, 4GB or 8GB storage capacities and retail for $165, $242, and $424 respectively. While the DataTraveler BlackBox is more expensive than your standard USB flash drive, its not a bad price to pay for ensuring that your personal data security will not be breached.

Read [DTBB Demo] Via [Crunch Gear]

We’ve stumbled upon a neat little feature in Microsoft’s new Windows Vista called BitLocker.  The tool lets you encrypt everything on your hard drive and makes it so you can use a flash drive (AKA thumb drive) as the key to the safe.  So everytime you want to log on to your machine, you must have the flash drive in the USB port, or else you’ll get a screen telling you to insert it.  And unfortunately, we’re not seeing any backdoors yet. 

You can of course add multiple flash drives to the list, but the more you have, the less secure you really are.  If you’re going to load BitLocker, make sure you backup your recovery key *on a different machine or external storage device.* If you leave your key on the same machine, don’t lose your flash drive, or else you’re simply screwed.  We’ll tell you about more Vista features as we dig them up.

As soon as a new DRM format is released, hackers and crackers get to work looking for ways to unlock it.  Using a similar method to how HD DVD was cracked, someone has now cracked the Blu-ray DRM.

“Oups, I did it again! ... In less that 24 hours, without any Blu-Ray equipment, but with the help of Janvitos, I managed to decrypt and play a Blu-Ray media file using my known-plaintext attack ... I will keep you informed If I found anything new...”

They also note that this is not a complete solution yet, only a proof of concept.  AACS encryption is the heart of Blu-ray DRM, and it looks like it won’t be long until we see a final version.  In the meantime, “BackupBluRay V0.01” has been made available for all of you dare devils out there.

Read [Doom9] Via [Gadget Lab]