“Microsoft needs to start beefing up the security of its Windows Phone 7 App Marketplace. An ethical hacker provided WPCentral, a Windows Phone centric site, with a video showing proof-of-concept program that could grab any App from Marketplace and be installed for free sans any DRM security,” Samir Makwana reports for UTV.
MacDailyNews Take: This ought to give a second thought to any developers who are hell bent on wasting their time.
Makwana reports, “This proof-of-concept program, dubbed FreeMarketplace, raises an alarm against a severe security issue with the Windows Marketplace that might lead to App Piracy.. Tobias is said to be the developer of the proof-of-concept FreeMarketplace program. In the video, the proof-of-concept FreeMarketplace program pulls [an] app from the Windows Marketplace, removes the XAP Security Layer and deploys it on a WP7 device with a single button press.”
Makwana reports, “This means that Microsoft’s XAP Security DRM is the same for every app and hence an automated DRM removal fix could be enabled to crack Windows Marketplace easy process.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Security via Obscurity. Oops.
Microsoft. Ineptitude is in our DNA.™
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “The_Wzrd” for the heads up.]
But can hackers make Windows Phone 7 Apps not suck?
Wow, they can download all 5000 wallpaper apps for free?!?
Free apps. At last, a benefit for WinPhones users.
Microsoft:
We do nothing right, don’t you know?
Dance Monkey Boy Dance…
Balmy!!!
But if a hacker breaks winphone 7 DRM does anyone hear it?
Yeah, but will FreeMarketplace be marketed for free?
Funny thing is you can do this on a jailbroken iPhone. So no real need to kick a dog while it’s down.
@ Huh…
Of course you can steal Apps by jail-breaking your iPhone. That’s why iPhones are jail-broken. Thieving bastards.
Stealing Apps just might be the killer App for Windows phone 7 phone success.
Look what it did for Android phones.
Not to worry, Microsoft. You don’t have that many apps to pirate..
I should have known better than to have left security to Bill Gates. He said something about security through obscurity.
I didn’t know what he meant at that time but looking at our market share for WP7 phones, it isn’t looking good. Rounding error here we come…
This is a much bigger issue for a “Windows” device then one sold by Apple, because it’s well-known Windows users are less likely to pay for software.
——RM
I don’t like pirates
but I am laughing at how little time it took them.
haha microsoft can’t even write good DRMs
Happy New Year, Ballmer!
at 2:41 – Downloading, please stay calm (could take a while)…
Flippin wierdosssssss
Nothing to see here, folks.
Don’t you MAC fangirls understand ‘proof of concept’? This isn’t happening in the wild. Nobody—I repeat—NOBODY is pirating apps from Windows Marketplace. Windows users are a discerning group who would gladly pay double for the quality and rich user experience of Microsoft’s products.
It’s you MAC lemmings who constantly whine about price with your race to the bottom I-Phones and whatever else MAC hastily copies from Microsoft these days just to keep up. Whatever. What do MAC sissies have against paying for stuff?
Your potential. Our passion.™
Another Microsoft first!
I hope this gets fixed soon. We are lucky this is just proof of concept. I hope this guy notifies Microsft on how he is doing this.
Ironic that they use the Mac “package” icon as the .xap icon.
What planet is Zune Tang from? Bizzarro World?
Hair grows on his hands until his Zune falls off.
Karlv,
The guy explains all that in the first minute of the video.
If anyone relies on computers for mission-critical operations, there is only 1 word they need to avoid:
Microsoft.
Don’t believe me? 3 words:
1) Iran
2) nuclear
3) program
iOS… can steal apps too, like others have said. More MDN trolling.
@Huh..,
So you’re saying the you can use a jailbroken iPhone to steal apps from the App Store? Show me some proof – even a link to a site talking about it will suffice.
http://www.cultofmac.com/install-pirated-appstore-apps-on-your-iphone-jailbreak-superguide/37532