Irdeto Launches Active Cloak for Media With Dynamic Security Approach

Software security firm Irdeto is launching Active Cloak for Media this morning, a dynamic security service intended to protect premium content across the ever-growing universe of connected devices. I had breakfast with Daniel Thunberg, Irdeto's VP of Marketing, who was in from Beijing last week, to learn more.

Irdeto has had a strong position in DRM with its core Cloakware DRM technology embedded in online video services and devices from Comcast, Netflix, Adobe, Sony, and Logitech among others. But Irdeto has recognized that DRM itself is often the subject of hackers' attacks and when they succeed piracy runs rampant. Worse, it's often not apparent to the content owner or distributor where the breach is. The result is a world where content owners often have little idea where their most valuable assets are being viewed.

With that problem in mind, Daniel explained that Active Cloak for Media takes a services-oriented approach, deploying a set of server modules and media agents on connected devices which constantly communicate with each other to watch for illicit activity. When detected, the agents renew their security credentials to keep content safe. Active Cloak for Media's "lifecycle" security model means that once content is digitally distributed, content owners and/or distributors have a far better view of where security issues exist and what proactive measures should be taken.

The other advantage of a holistic approach like Active Cloak for Media is that it streamlines the operational overhead of managing multiple DRM solutions on multiple devices. With just one view into their entire digital distribution domain, service providers can begin viewing security much like they've viewed network management, with key staff tasked with pro-actively monitoring their distribution network. This becomes even more important as the range of connected devices explodes and the business rules for viewing premium video evolve over time. Daniel said that Active Cloak for Media is currently being used by a number of major cable operators, such as Sky Deutschland and several over-the-top operators.

For providers like Netflix and Comcast, for example, which are aggressively pursuing content distribution on multiple devices, ensuring video streams are secure is crucial to their relationships with content owners. At a higher level, Irdeto's Active Cloak for Media is yet another example of how the key pieces of infrastructure are continuing to fall into place for a fully evolved multi-device, digital distribution future.

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Categories: Devices, Technology

Topics: Irdeto