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Ask HN: Looking for a specific story about defeating hackers
I remember reading an amazing story about the arms race between hackers and (I think) TV companies. The companies would constantly release updates to break the hacks and the hackers would, within hours, have found ways around them. Eventually the companies hired a specialist who released a whole series of seemingly unrelated updates that didn't appear to do anything until the final update was sent - at which point the entire system rewrote itself, locking out the hacker entirely.
I can't remember enough details to track down the specific story, but I do remember it was a thoroughly interesting read and I'm guessing someone here might be able to recall seeing it themselves.
- brk 17y agoYou're thinking of the DirecTV H/HU card hacking. Here is one random link I found in reference to this: http://www.geek.com/articles/news/directtv-hands-out-smack-down-20010126/ http://www.geek.com/articles/news/directtv-hands-out-smack-d...
- steerpike 17y agoYou are awesome, thank you.
- tdm911 17y agoalso: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001125.html http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001125.html
- DanielStraight 17y agoSome of the comments there are just ridiculous. You have a right to get TV free just because it's broadcast through the air? Please. Every time you log into a website, you are broadcasting your password over the internet where it bounces off many machines before reaching the target server. Do the owners of those machines have a right to attempt to crack and then use your password? I mean, you are sending it to them, so they must.
- plinkplonk 17y agohttp://slashdot.org/articles/01/01/25/1343218.shtml http://slashdot.org/articles/01/01/25/1343218.shtml http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/01/25/directv_attacks_hacked_smart_cards/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/01/25/directv_attacks_hack... (somewhat tangential but still interesting) http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/05/tarnovsky?currentPage=all http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/05/tarnovsk...