Advanced Television

Advanced STBs create security challenges

January 30, 2009

The increased content portability in Home Networks has opened the potential for piracy on a wider range of digital devices. Such developments, where content is pushed beyond the TV to a wide range of connected digital devices, has significantly increased the complexity of security requirements, according to asset protection specialist Cloakware.

Cloakware suggests that set-top boxes (STBs) and their associated conditional access (CA) systems and digital rights management (DRM) technologies are under increased threat from device tampering, software security breaches and hacker attacks that can significantly impact the reputation and bottom line for both STB manufacturers and service providers.

"Set-top box manufacturers have rigorous compliance and robustness rules that they need to address to satisfy their customers," said Greg McKesey, Vice President of Consumer Products for Cloakware. He stressed the importance of providing cost effective, drop in, easy to integrate content protection components that meet or exceed studio and operator content security requirements, allowing set-top box manufacturers to meet those stringent regulations and get their products to market faster.

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