Hackers claim to crack Kindle copyright armor
A not-so-merry holiday gift for Amazon.com: hackers say they've successfully cracked copyright protections on the company's Kindle e-reader, making it possible to export e-books to other devices.
One hack reportedly resulted from a Kindle DRM challenge issued on Israeli forum Hacking.org. On that site, an Israeli hacker known as Labba claims to have created a tool that lets e-books stored on the Kindle be transferred as PDF files.
A U.S. hacker has written a program to crack copyright protections on the Kindle for PC application.
(Credit: Amazon)A U.S. hacker who goes by the name "i♥cabbages," meanwhile, created a program called Unswindle that promises to convert books stored in the Kindle for PC application into a different file format.
The free Kindle for PC app lets book buyers read their books right from their PCs without having to buy a Kindle reader. Unswindle has to be used in conjunction with MobiDeDRM, a program by another hacker named "darkreverser."
Posters on i♥cabbages' blog give Unswindle mixed reviews, ranging from "works like a charm" and "worked flawlessly" to descriptions of various errors.
Unswindle's creator originally detailed the tool on December 17, and posted two updates on the program Tuesday. One noted that Amazon has demonstrated that "it (unlike Adobe Systems) takes its digital rights management, or DRM, seriously: it has already pushed out a new version of K4PC, which breaks this particular script."
In a second update, the hacker notes that "the K4PC update may not actually have been targeted at Unswindle, as Amazon seems to have done nothing in particular to make the basic approach more difficult. In any case, I've updated Unswindle to handle the 20091222 version of the executable. We'll see if Amazon throws out another new build in short order."
CNET has contacted Amazon for comment and will update this post as soon as we hear back.
The Amazon hacks are, of course, just the latest DRM hacks. In 2005, a group of hackers that included a 17-year-old and a man noted for cracking the anticopying protections on DVDs released PyMusique, a program that essentially stripped DRM from iTunes' songs.
Each time Apple tried to plug the hole that the software exploited, the hackers would find another.
(Sources: BBC News, IDG News Service)
Leslie Katz, senior editor of CNET's Crave, covers gadgets, games, and myriad other digital distractions. As a co-host of the recently retired CNET News Daily Podcast, she was sometimes known to channel Terry Gross and still uses her trained "podcast voice" to bully the speech recognition software on automated customer service lines. E-mail Leslie. 
Sooo.... the Amazon Kindle App for the iPhone/PC, and other devices... isn't good enough? You want to put it on... what, Sony's e-reader? If you HAVE a kindle... why would you have another e-reader?
If you think this is "Consumers reaching out" and that this poorly named "Unswindle." is for anything other than the illegal file sharing of this media, you're a fool. I'm very unsympathetic to Mp3's because in the end recording artists make the bulk of their cash touring... writers however, do not make much, so to "unswindle" a Kindle is to swindle an author.
If I had a kindle and liked the book I'd probably want to pass it on to my buddy when I'm done. Or I want to back up my investment in a format that will outlast Amazon's current DRM scheme. Or Amazon zaps one too many of my purchases because of a copyright dispute and I get sick of that crap and want to put the book in an unzapable format.
There are a lot of variations of "because it's mine and I want it the way I want it"
Not sure what I believe -- I can see it both ways -- but there's definitely an argument to be made.
True, but the other point of view is that by tying the e-books to the device AND having exclusive deals with some publishers are considered anti-competitive practices. The only problem is that this is DRM technology, so cracking it for whatever intents or purpose is illegal. Very unfortunate indeed... thanks to MPAA and RIAA.
It's really unfortunate, because I have several devices I use for reading so I can't use Amazon... which means I have to purchase my e-books from elsewhere which substantially limits what books I can get access to. One publisher that has approached this problem very well is Manning Press. They sell most of their titles (IT books) in PDF which can be read on almost any device.
So I'm happy for now to some degree,,, but what I really want is:
1) for the prices of e-books to be reduced substantially since the cost of producing these is significantly less, and because I cannot recoup some of my costs by reselling the e-book.
2) for the rest of the publishers to catch up and offer their titles in a readable non-DRM format.
LOL.
What are you saying, that the story is a writer? Shouldn't you have said, "As a writer I think this is very bad news."?
I would think that you'd have better grammar and sentence structure, being a writer and all.
That readers of your book would dare make a backup copy! Shameful!!!!
The good thing about this mess is that those with no vision are going to crash and burn and those that can see how to leverage the digital age to their advantage will do very well.
The best part is that those with vision create far more interesting things then those of you clinging to a long-dead past.
People have been passing around paperbacks and the like ever since literacy came around, and way before the printing press.
What - you thought you could extract money from every pair of eyes that fell upon your work? Pfft! Good luck with that one.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/technology/personaltech/17pogue-email.html?_r=3&8cir&emc=cira1
If all people did was "backup" or re-purpose the stuff they actually owned and purchased then non of us would have to deal with DRM and copy protection. Now of course, we'll start seeing "backups" available on torrents and FTP's and people making convenient excuses for it. All you pentest's, and Random_Walk's of the world just making excuses know damn well that so long as people continue abusing the system, DRM and copy protection will only get worst and more cumbersome for all of us to deal with.
I'm not entirely sure they do know. I think they're budding computer enthusiasts, who may or may not have learned a trick or two and suddenly believe themselves to be IT experts of some kind. They suggest to us that they work prestigious careers, yet seem to have all day free to post on subjects of which they know little to nothing. People are like that sometimes; these two aren't the only ones.
As in, who's gonna steal book en mass? :)
"I think it's a little more complex than "because they can." A lot of people feel that, if they're purchased the rights to a book in the past, they shouldn't be required to purchase it again. For example, I bought a physical copy of "Born to Run" several months ago from Amazon. It could be argued that I already have a license to read it, so why shouldn't I be able to convert that license into a digital one?
Not sure what I believe -- I can see it both ways -- but there's definitely an argument to be made."
Perfectly legitimate.
Copying VHS to DVD and porting Kindle books to another format are both the same. Either fair use, or copyright infringment. Either way there is no theft involved.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/17/amazon-remotely-deletes-orwell-e-books-from-kindles-unpersons-r/
There you have it. Amazon has the rights to delete books off of your kindle without your permission.
Answer me this, Do you still like your DRM now?
HI ALL, There is a program for the blind and disabled that has digital audio books that play on special desktop players, which are supplied to each authorized user.
There also are very expensive portable players, in the area of $350 each and are very confusing to use, (they are about a deck of cards and have over 20 buttons, which are too confsing for many of the disabled & blind. The books are downloadable and encoded isn proprietary format. Since these books are free, just as library books are, the National Libray, (NLS) service of the Library Of Congress, (LOC), requires after market players must have a password of some kind that the NLS/LOC controls.
I got permision from the Library of Congress ,who runs the program, to find someone who could convert the format to use on IPODS. This would still require an authorization # for the program, but make it useable on an IPOD which is much easier to use and far cheaper.
IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO COULD WRITE SUCH A PROGRAM, PLEASE CONTACT ME,: JAY GROWINTHINGS@EMBARQMAIL.COM
PS keep in mind I am disabled, so there may be a few typos. Thanks take care, Jay
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