Fun_People Archive
23 Aug
Windows Media Audio (WMA) format -- "We don't see this as a flaw."

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 99 10:21:33 -0700
To: Fun_People
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Subject: Windows Media Audio (WMA) format -- "We don't see this as a flaw."

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From: Andy Lee <andylee@mindspring.com>

  Microsoft Releases Music Format, Format Security Promptly Cracked

Microsoft has just released the digital Windows Media Audio (WMA) format
and tool set, featuring high quality sound at higher compression rates then
MP3 or RealVideo. It "gives artists, record labels and studios the ability
to control and manage the distribution and use of digital audio and video
content." Well, not anymore. About a day after release, hackers cracked the
security encodings and distributed online a program, called unfuck.exe, to
strip all restrictions on downloaded WMA media. In what may well be the line
of the year, Microsoft's chief technology officer said, "We don't see this
as a flaw."  Wired and MP3.com offer more analysis. At press time, we
couldn't reach a site reputed to have a copy of unfuck.exe, Dimension Music,
presumably due to heavy traffic. By the way, be careful about Trojan horse
viruses if you go hunting for the program.

WMA:	http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1999/Aug99/WM4Lnchpr.htm
Wired:	http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/21325.html
MP3:	http://www.mp3.com/news/316.html
Dimension Music:
	http://www.dmusic.com/

© 1999 Peter Langston