New version of DRM removal tools ("DeDRM")

[pwalker8]

So far I've had no problems. I seriously doubt that there will ever be a DRM that one can't defeat, it just requires enough popularity to get the necessary people interested.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Reverse engineered is when someone figures out the DRM used. Cracked is when DRM is removed. So yes, there is a difference and cracked is the correct term.

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Yeah, that's not so very accurate at all.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I disagree.

Unfortunately your disagreement is not an inherent proof that you are right.

And in fact, you are wrong on both a technical and social level.

...

pdurrant has already explained the difference quite well.

Although it could probably be simplified as:

• Reverse-engineered means we use the authorization data ourselves, permanently unlocking the book -- by imitating the ereader software.
• Cracked means the DRM is fundamentally flawed, and we can unlock everyone's books -- even without knowing their authorization data.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

So far I've had no problems. I seriously doubt that there will ever be a DRM that one can't defeat, it just requires enough popularity to get the necessary people interested.

Agreed. Right now it's pretty easy to avoid books that can't be unlocked. Once that changes, there will be more motivation and more information available.

[HarryT]

Installed Calibre, K4PC, and tools 6.4 on my brand-new Windows 10 laptop today. All works perfectly. Thanks, Appentice Harper!

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Using that terminology:

Reverse engineered means that [..]

Thank you for answering that. Couldn't have said it better. For sure would not been able to go into that much detail and make it so easy to understand. And you are right the way you interpreted my wording of terms, even though I am not 100% sure they are the ones used in Cryptololy.

[Lynx-lynx]

Alf (himself) posted a couple of days ago the release of v6.4.1 of the Tools.

Changes are: "This release fixes a problem with interpreting Topaz ebooks from Amazon. There’s no need to update unless you’re having problems with decoding a Topaz ebook from Amazon.'

If anyone has tried the fix perhaps they could report on its success ....

(I didn't have the issue)

[mamasamu]

Hello everyone.

I'm using Calibre for Mac and it has successfully converted every Amazon file so far except for the one I bought yesterday.

It seems that the tools cannot remove the DRM anymore (and the newest version doesn't fit to my problem apparently).

Help, please.

Thank you

[Lynx-lynx]

Originally Posted by mamasamu

Hello everyone.

I'm using Calibre for Mac and it has successfully converted every Amazon file so far except for the one I bought yesterday.

It seems that the tools cannot remove the DRM anymore (and the newest version doesn't fit to my problem apparently).

Help, please.

Thank you

mamasamu I sympathise with your problems, unfortunately we can't help you on MR, you're going to have to post at Alf's blog. I'm sure you'll receive very timely assistance there.

[mamasamu]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

mamasamu I sympathise with your problems, unfortunately we can't help you on MR, you're going to have to post at Alf's blog. I'm sure you'll receive very timely assistance there.

Sorry for posting in the wrong forum!

[lkmiller]

For anyone who’s had a problem with the DeDRM calibre plugin working in debug mode but not normal mode, Apprentice Harper needs your feedback on a test version of the plugin to fix this. See issue #96 over at the GitHub repository.

[apprenticeharper]

v6.4.3 now released at GitHub.

• Fixes the problem of the plugin working in debug mode but not when running normally.
• Improves checking of B&N key generation in the plugin
• Changes the Mac application to use notifications instead of dialogs after a drag&drop operation.
• Improves Kindle key retrieval on Macs with multiple Ethernet ports

[apprenticeharper]

I have added an FAQs file to the repository at github.

If you see an error, or if something's unclear, or you think something else should be added, please either raise an issue at GitHub, or email me directly.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Thank you for answering that. Couldn't have said it better. For sure would not been able to go into that much detail and make it so easy to understand. And you are right the way you interpreted my wording of terms, even though I am not 100% sure they are the ones used in Cryptololy.

"Reverse engineering" is not the correct term for what is at issue. PD correctly understood and answered what was at issue but he did not mean to define the term you used, he merely acknowledged that someone used the term in this thread, and explained what that person was referring to.

To be needlessly pedantic, reverse engineering in any context means examining the finished product and figuring out how it works. Reverse engineering was used to find out how the key was employed, then that knowledge was used to apply the key in other ways.

It might be fair to say in those cases that the DRM was cracked...that is, the mechanism for enforcing and limiting certain behaviors by the authorized user, was cracked, but the underlying encryption was not cracked.

There are indeed methods of bypassing DRM in this fashion that did not involve reverse engineering at all. Analog hole methods for example.

Reverse engineering might also be employed in the process of actually cracking encryption as well, so it's not really suitable as a differentiating term between these two ways of getting around DRM: Cracking the DRM by making use of the available key, or cracking DRM by cracking the underlying crypto, and thereby not needing to have the key already available.

Maybe there is another term besides "crack" more precisely referring to what we're talking about. PD and DD, not to mention Apprentice Harper, would know if anyone here would.
If there isn't, maybe we can coin one. How about "Key-Liberation?"

[JSWolf]

How about unlock? We have the key so I think that's a good term to use.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I'm sure if you could find a site that allows anonymous uploads and unlimited downloads for free and isn't the slightest bit dodgy...

Zippyshare. In the past I've used it as an alternative to Dropbox if a lot of people needed to get a big file without hassle. How it is now, I don't know.

edit: Damn. Wrong page. That was one old post.