Cardsharing
In cardsharing (German: card release or shared card access , literally card sharing ), a single decryption card is used in several receivers at the same time in Pay TV . This is usually in violation of the contract and possibly also illegal.
functionality
A modified receiver or other hardware ("card server") continuously distributes the decoder key via a network connection to one or more other receivers, which must also be modified. The network connection can run over the Internet so that the receivers do not have to be in the same location. If all receivers are in one household, this is referred to as home sharing.
The necessary modifications are especially available for receivers with a Linux operating system, partly as an extension or in the form of alternative firmware. The distributing card server must be provided with a valid smart card, the unauthorized satellite receivers receive the decoder key via a LAN port and simulate the smart card using software. Although the decoder keys are exchanged in very short cycles of typically 7 seconds, it is possible to continuously pass on these decoder keys with a standard network connection and appropriate hardware.
Card sharing can also be done as so-called offline decoding. The user records an encrypted broadcast as a transport stream on the hard drive. Another person who has access to the smart card is logging the keys from this sender in a file at the same time. The user can later use this file to decrypt the recording with suitable software (e.g. TSDEC).
Cardsharing was used in 2005 to break the encryption of the pay TV company Premiere .
Legal aspects in Germany
Internet sharing is excluded from the general terms and conditions of almost all pay TV providers, whereas home sharing is not always explicitly excluded. In the event of a violation of the terms and conditions, card sharing is illegal in several ways. In addition to fraudulent activities and computer fraud, a violation of the Access Control Services Act (ZKDSG) can also be considered.
literature
- Dieter Schulz: The unofficial satellite receiver book. Franzis Verlag, 2007, page 149 ff, ISBN 978-3-7723-4316-2 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Cardsharing: Illegal reception of pay TV channels like Sky seems to be increasing [1]
- ↑ Card-Sharing: One pays, everyone watches, Chip Online, November 7, 2005. [2]
- ↑ Criminal Code Section 265a Obtaining benefits by fraud [3]
- ^ Criminal Code Computer Fraud Section 263 [4]
- ↑ Overview of criminal liability for card sharing [5]