Apple AirPlay Private Key Exposed, Opening Door to AirPort Express Emulators
Developer James Laird has reverse engineered the Airport Express private key and published an open source AirPort Express emulator called Shareport.
This program emulates an Airport Express for the purpose of streaming music from iTunes and compatible iPods. It implements a server for the Apple RAOP protocol.
Previously, the private key was unknown, which meant that only Apple's Airport Express or official 3rd party solutions could wirelessly stream music from iTunes or equivalent. Many existing solutions such as Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil have long been able to stream music to AirPort Express or other AirPlay devices, but not the other way around. A Hacker News commenter illumin8 spells it out:Previously you could do this:
iTunes -- stream to --> Apple Airport Express
3rd party software -- stream to --> Apple Airport Express
Now you can do this:
iTunes -- stream to --> 3rd party software/hardware
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They'll change the key and force a firmware update on any airport express user who wants to update itunes.
Are the 3rd party AirPlay speakers firmware upgradable?
http://www.apple.com/itunes/airplay/
That will break compatibility with those speakers.
arn
What I don't get is why can't Apple enable any iOS device (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad) as an Airplay target device? Obviously iOS supports it as Apple TV can be a target for Airplay from iTunes.
There are apps for AirPlay.
Perhaps you have not heard of this thing call the App Store. :rolleyes:
They'll change the key and force a firmware update on any airport express user who wants to update itunes.
Are the 3rd party AirPlay speakers firmware upgradable?
http://www.apple.com/itunes/airplay/
That will break compatibility with those speakers.
arn
The marantz one is, you have to pay $40 to uPgrade firmware to get AirPlay working at all. At least you did with early versions, not sure about current versions, AirPlay may work without upgrade with those.
They'll change the key and force a firmware update on any airport express user who wants to update itunes.
Unlikely - this would require the new private key be embedded in the firmware update package, which would defeat the purpose of replacing the old key.
This is a fundamental issue with DRM solutions - you, as the consumer, have to hold the private key. They (Apple) can obfuscate where that key is, but in the end it has to be accessible in some manner. It's the same thing with iTunes DRM. If someone cares enough, they can almost certainly retrieve the private key (which is how Requiem works).
I'm guessing Apple may make some half-hearted move or another; but I doubt they care all that much.
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