Apple's AirPlay private key discovered, revealed

By on Apr 11, 2011 at 8:09 AM
Software April 11, 2011

It looks as though software developer James Laird has opened Pandora’s box for Apple’s AirPlay music streaming system. Frustrated by the fact that an AirPort Express emulator did not exist, Laird began to look for a solution that would allow him to stream iTunes music without the use of AirPlay. “I was disappointed to find that Apple used a public-key crypto scheme, and there’s a private key hiding inside the ApEx [Airport Extreme],” wrote Laird. “So I took it apart (I still have scars from opening the glued case!), dumped the ROM, and reverse engineered the keys out of it.” Laird has published the private key in an open source software project dubbed ShairPort (clever). The software, which is built in Perl and C, will allow users to stream iTunes content to hardware and software designed to talk to ShairPort. Apple has opened up its AirPlay system to third-parties in recent months, but this blows the doors wide open for all those looking to circumvent that red tape-filled process.

[Via MacRumors]

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  • Anonymous

    That could never ever happen to Google. Members of the Goofan (aka Apple Hater) Security Apparatus have tried to break into ANYTHING Google and it’s totally infallible! Apple, as with everything Apple, is mediocre at best.

    • Anonymous

      Righto Goofan!! But if you wanna’ be (clever) here, you should write medoiCre; the (clever) way on BGR.

  • Anonymous

    Hello, lawsuit!

    • Cer

      Hello, non-lawyer!

    • serpentor

      I was thinking the same thing. Laird should sue Apple for the scar he got trying to pry the POS open. Make them pay for using glue instead of easy to open screws.

    • EngineerGA

      I can’t believe people think this is acceptable to do without being sued. Apple’s private key that he obtained via mechanically ripping it apart and stealing the info from the ROM? He actually admits doing this? Wow. Apple probably already has the payroll lawyers looking his info up right now.

      • numetheus

        I bought it. It’s mine. I didn’t sign a non disclosure form to purchase this hardware. I should be able to take things apart that I hasn’t purchased.

      • http://profiles.google.com/mordikar.nykae Justin Hart

        yeah …. re read the licence agreement you agreed to … I’m willing to bet that it’s worded to indicate that you paid for the licence to use… and then there is a section prohibiting any form of reverse engineeringetc. People don’t read the licence agreement and just hit accept. the problem is that is a legally binding document. You don’t buy software anymore you purchase the right to use it within a set of guide lines. That usually goes for the software runing on the ahrdware you purchased. You may have the rights to the physical hardware, but the software stored in it is protected IP of the developer.

      • M1

        I agree with Justin Hart on this one. I think we have two options here. 1.) steal the device, tell apple to fuck off, and risk jail time 2.) Fuck apple and companies like it, stop buying their products.

        m1

      • serpentor

        Reverse engineering is NOT illegal.

  • Anonymous

    The real revelation here is that ShairPort is “considered” to be (clever). Simply “genius” to reorganize two “wittle” lettaz’.

    But, what I don’t get, why so much desire to “ShaiR” AeroPlay?? Not surprised, though, to read, ‘(I still have scars from opening the glued case!)’; I would too, that white plastic is a biachh’.

  • Cer

    Proofread: ShariPort

  • http://profiles.google.com/andrew.ledawson Andrew LD

    Site’s down.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WNDZU5KGMFKQAQAAXZ4OJ7OCZI William

    Sorry but I am a novice and after downloading ShairPort I don’t know how it is installed onto my Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit PC. When I click on the install file, after extracting it from the archive, I am asking what program I want to use to run the file.

    • Anonymous

      I’m guessing only Apple computers.

  • Anonymous

    Well done James Laird. ANYONE who shaftys the EVIL EMPIRE is alright by me.

  • http://profiles.google.com/mordikar.nykae Justin Hart

    Queue the apple lawyers of doom ….

  • Jesster King

    OH SHIT, well boys and girls, not that we have wasted weeks(maybe even months) with the geohot vs sony bullshit, out of the woods comes James Laird vs Apple.

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