News that Windows Phone Marketplace can be cracked is
spreading across the blogosphere, after Windows
Phone Central posted a Dec. 29 proof-of-concept video illustrating what
some third-party developers have previously suggested.
"A ‘white hat’ developer has provided WPCentral with a
proof-of-concept program that can successfully pull any application from the
Marketplace, remove the security and deploy to an unlocked Windows Phone with
literally a push of a button," Windows Phone Central’s Daniel Rubino wrote
in a Dec. 29 posting. "Neither the app nor the methodology is public, and
it will not be released (please don’t ask). It is important to note that this
was all done within six hours by one developer."
The
four-minute proof-of-concept video shows the program pulling live data from
the Marketplace in response to typing in a keyword (such as "Movies"), downloading
a fully cracked app, and then installing it on a device via a XAP Installer.
Any app can supposedly be downloaded and installed.
"We have heard many complaints from developers about this
weakness for months now and it is their right to know about the flaws in the
system," Rubino wrote in his blog posting. "We are confident Microsoft will
work hard to implement a stronger DRM system, in part due to this
proof-of-concept demonstration."
For more, read the eWeek article: Windows Phone Marketplace Apps Cracked: Report.
