Hacks Amazon Kindle Hack: Read DRM-protected Mobipocket content

Alexander Turcic · 12-12-2007, 04:04 PM

Hasn't it bothered you to be stuck with Amazon when making e-book purchases for your Kindle reader? Well, our famed reverse-engineer friend igorsk wrote his own application ("Mobipocket PID calculator for Amazon Kindle") to generate a valid Mobipocket PID from your Kindle's serial number. You use this PID to make your Mobipocket purchases; afterwards, you use another tiny application ("The Kindleizer") to convert the purchased Mobipocket e-books into a format that the Kindle would accept.

No question, this development will delight all Kindle customers but perhaps provide no small amount of frustration to the good folks over at Amazon.

You can download the tools (written in Python) over here: link removed on Amazon's request

TadW · 12-12-2007, 04:14 PM

Igor does this mean you've abandoned your Sony Reader projects?

And congrats on your Kindle efforts... this is highly appreciated!

tsgreer · 12-12-2007, 04:35 PM

Is there anything that this guy can't do? Excellent news!!

CTH · 12-12-2007, 04:47 PM

The question is if Amazon will do a Apple and update the kindle with some kind of protection against this?

tsgreer · 12-12-2007, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTH

The question is if Amazon will do a Apple and update the kindle with some kind of protection against this?

Shhhh...

Maybe they won't find out.

TadW · 12-12-2007, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsgreer

Shhhh...

Maybe they won't find out.

LOL!

carld · 12-12-2007, 05:06 PM

I don't have a Kindle yet, but I downloaded it anyway, just in case he gets a cease and desist from Amazon.

azog · 12-12-2007, 05:08 PM

Hmph, if the PID is generated from the serial number, I don't see a way for them to "fix" this, without also breaking access to our "legit" Kindle purchases. It's interesting. I wonder if he can do the reverse, de-Kindle an AZW file I've purchased from Amazon. That would allow me to read all my content on my Gen3!

TadW · 12-12-2007, 05:13 PM

Wouldn't this be an excellent case for "Fair Use"? No DRM is cracked, no protection is broken, no copyrights violated.

A "deKindleizer" would be a great idea! All those cheap Kindle books from Amazon, usable on other readers like the iLiad or the Cybook... *yum*

NatCh · 12-12-2007, 05:15 PM

You'd still have to get the PID for those other devices into the files, though, wouldn't you?

azog · 12-12-2007, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

You'd still have to get the PID for those other devices into the files, though, wouldn't you?

Hadn't considered that. In that case, I guess it's probably not such a good idea. Most mobi sites allow you to have more than one device, but Amazon only allows Kindle content to be read on the Kindle (or multiple Kindles, from what I can discern).

TadW · 12-12-2007, 05:36 PM

Agreed. And this (getting the PID into AZW files) could be considered breaking of the DRM, which is probably really not a good idea.

aagstn · 12-12-2007, 05:56 PM

This device should do this out of the box. There is no reason why my books purchased in Amazon's Mobipocket DRM should not work with Amazon's ebook reader.

I'm sick of DRM. I only wish there was an easy way to strip the DRM from these so I can read the stuff I buy on the device I choose. Makes you want to go back to paper books.

xianfox · 12-12-2007, 05:58 PM

There is still a chance for this to be broken. Since Amazon owns Mobipocket, if they can identify the PIDs used by Kindles, they could disallow those at the authenticating server; thus no new books could be encrypted with those PIDs.

Just a thought. Make sure you keep backup copies of those Mobipocket books.

*back to reading my iLiad*

TadW · 12-12-2007, 06:12 PM

Thanks to igorsk who released the code we know that a crc32 routine is involved in calculating the PIDs for Kindle devices. Since it's relatively easy to reverse crc32, I assume xianfox is right - Amazon could theoratically determine if the PID is related to a specific Kindle serial.

12-12-2007, 04:04 PM	#1
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,171 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	Amazon Kindle Hack: Read DRM-protected Mobipocket content Hasn't it bothered you to be stuck with Amazon when making e-book purchases for your Kindle reader? Well, our famed reverse-engineer friend igorsk wrote his own application ("Mobipocket PID calculator for Amazon Kindle") to generate a valid Mobipocket PID from your Kindle's serial number. You use this PID to make your Mobipocket purchases; afterwards, you use another tiny application ("The Kindleizer") to convert the purchased Mobipocket e-books into a format that the Kindle would accept. No question, this development will delight all Kindle customers but perhaps provide no small amount of frustration to the good folks over at Amazon. You can download the tools (written in Python) over here: link removed on Amazon's request

12-12-2007, 04:14 PM	#2
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	Igor does this mean you've abandoned your Sony Reader projects? And congrats on your Kindle efforts... this is highly appreciated! Last edited by TadW; 12-12-2007 at 04:59 PM.

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12-12-2007, 04:35 PM	#3
tsgreer Lovin' the e-book life... Posts: 633 Karma: 2509 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Colorado Device: Ebookwise 1150, Sony PRS-505, Amazon Kindle, BeBook (with OpenInkpot)	Is there *anything* that this guy can't do? Excellent news!!

12-12-2007, 04:47 PM	#4
CTH Zealot Posts: 129 Karma: 1000153 Join Date: Jan 2007	The question is if Amazon will do a Apple and update the kindle with some kind of protection against this?

12-12-2007, 05:06 PM	#7
carld Wizard Posts: 2,698 Karma: 4748723 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I don't have a Kindle yet, but I downloaded it anyway, just in case he gets a cease and desist from Amazon.

12-12-2007, 05:08 PM	#8
azog Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 33 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Cybook Gen3, Kindle	Hmph, if the PID is generated from the serial number, I don't see a way for them to "fix" this, without also breaking access to our "legit" Kindle purchases. It's interesting. I wonder if he can do the reverse, de-Kindle an AZW file I've purchased from Amazon. That would allow me to read all my content on my Gen3!

12-12-2007, 05:13 PM	#9
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	Wouldn't this be an excellent case for "Fair Use"? No DRM is cracked, no protection is broken, no copyrights violated. A "deKindleizer" would be a great idea! All those cheap Kindle books from Amazon, usable on other readers like the iLiad or the Cybook... yum

12-12-2007, 05:15 PM	#10
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	You'd still have to get the PID for those other devices into the files, though, wouldn't you?

12-12-2007, 05:36 PM	#12
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	Agreed. And this (getting the PID into AZW files) could be considered breaking of the DRM, which is probably really not a good idea.

12-12-2007, 05:56 PM	#13
aagstn Evangelist Posts: 422 Karma: 1004351 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 3, iPad mini 2	This device should do this out of the box. There is no reason why my books purchased in Amazon's Mobipocket DRM should not work with Amazon's ebook reader. I'm sick of DRM. I only wish there was an easy way to strip the DRM from these so I can read the stuff I buy on the device I choose. Makes you want to go back to paper books.

12-12-2007, 05:58 PM	#14
xianfox Ebook Addict Posts: 225 Karma: 2136 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Appleton, Wisconsin, USA Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	There is still a chance for this to be broken. Since Amazon owns Mobipocket, if they can identify the PIDs used by Kindles, they could disallow those at the authenticating server; thus no new books could be encrypted with those PIDs. Just a thought. Make sure you keep backup copies of those Mobipocket books. back to reading my iLiad

12-12-2007, 06:12 PM	#15
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	Thanks to igorsk who released the code we know that a crc32 routine is involved in calculating the PIDs for Kindle devices. Since it's relatively easy to reverse crc32, I assume xianfox is right - Amazon could theoratically determine if the PID is related to a specific Kindle serial.

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