News Corp, one of the largest media companies in the world, is knee deep into a lawsuit involving a computer hacker that claims he was hired nearly 5 years ago to develop satellite television pirating and spying software.
Echostar Communications, the parent company of DISH Network Corp, brought the lawsuit against News Corp's contractor NDS Group, a satellite security company. The hacker in question, Christopher Tarnovsky, was allegedly paid under the table by the NDS Group to develop satellite television pirating software. The purpose of the software is where things get messy.
Tarnovsky said that the software he allegedly was paid to develop was not used to hack into DISH Network's satellite service; rather the software was used for reverse engineering purposes. DISH, on the other hand, maintains the software was developed to hack into its network and steal security codes that would be used to flood the market with pirated smart cards. DISH says a security breach such as that would cost the company $900 million.
A bit of background: A satellite television smart card is like an authentication card for a satellite television set-top box. When the box has an approved card it basically sends a signal to the satellite company saying it is okay to provide that box with content, including premium content.
Remember back in the 1980s and 1990s when cable descrambling boxes were all of the rage? Think of this like that, but with a 21st century twist.
The trial that is taking place in the U.S. District Court's Central Division in Santa Ana, California and is expected to last two more weeks.
