Dmitry sklyarov is due to be transferred any time now from las vegas to somewhere. Not everyone is fuming about the arrest of russian cryptographer dmitry sklyarov for trafficking software that hacks safeguards. Dmitry sklyarov is a programmer employed by elcomsoft. Recorder staff writer s an jose renown san francisco defense attorney john keker has agreed to represent indicted russian computer programmer dmitry sklyarov on a pro bono basis. Zulu, a virus writer from south america, appears to have discovered that adobe pdf files can be used to carry computer viruses. Kekers decision to represent sklyarov, believed to be one of the first. Katalovs cojones because he stood by his companys employee dmitry sklyarov, a russian computer programmer, who.
One of their products is the advanced ebook processor aebpr. Unless youre a dedicated hacker the answer is probably no. Dmitry is a 27yearold programmer, a phd student researching cryptanalysis electronic security at a moscow university, a respected cryptographer and an employee of elcomsoft co. Aebpr, which removes encryption coding from adobe acrobat pdf files. In developing the software, however, sklyarov said he wanted to demonstrate that protection of documents in adobes pdf format, which is commonly used for ebooks, could not be absolutely secure. The case of dmitry sklyarov by ardito, stephanie c. Neil mcallister civil rights or copyrights hack an. Russian hacker arrested after las vegas convention the. At the time of writing august 2001, dmitry sklyarov was released on bail. Dmitry sklyarov press statement and complaint cryptome.
Following elcomsofts claim that despite the 256bit encryption acrobat 9 passwords are susceptible to more efficient brute. Adobe admits new pdf password protection is weaker. Hidden keys to software breakins and unauthorized entry. With 256bit encryption, acrobat 9 passwords still easy to crack. Dmitry sklyarov was arrested by federal agents in july 2001 at defcon after giving a presentation about a tool he developed at elcomsoft that allowed users of adobe systems ebook reader software. Ive fought long and hard to replace word documention with pdf word isnt suited for technical docs anyway. The 26yearold sklyarov is the lead programmer at a russian software company called elcomsoft, which produces a range of ingenious and reasonably priced products, including a program that scans incoming emails to make quasiintelligent judgments about how they should be categorised and filed. Adobe has net martyr ebooked by the feds technology. Dmitry authored software that allows legitimate purchasers of ebooks to convert those ebooks into a more portable document format pdf. It has even gone so far as to request that sklyarov be released. On july 17th, 2001, dmitry sklyarov, coder for the russian software house elcomsoft, was arrested while visiting the us. Adobe admits new pdf password protection is weaker cio. Dmitry sklyarov, a russian computer programmer, attended the def con convention in las vegas, nevada and was arrested in a similar scenario.
Neil mcallister is a san franciscobased writer and web developer, a senior editor for web techniques magazine, and a. Russian hacker arrested after las vegas convention. Aebpr, which removes encryption coding from adobe acrobat pdf files and adobe acrobat ebook reader software. California announced that dmitry sklyarov entered into an. Elcomsoft sklyarov frequently asked questions dmitry sklyarov the 27 year old russian programmer at the center of this case was released from u. People protesting sklyarov s arrest are correct when they warn that critics of companies can now go to jail for proving that socalled secure software isnt necessarily secure. With 256bit encryption, acrobat 9 passwords still easy to. Neil mcallister is a san franciscobased writer and web developer, a senior editor for web techniques magazine, and a regular contributor to sf. Russian programmer faces four counts of violating digital law and one of conspiracy. Dmitry sklyarov came to the united states expecting to stay only a couple days. Your news in brief us drops case against russian programmer nature 415, 6. Theres been a lot of debate about the recent jailing of a young russian named dmitry sklyarov, who helped write a controversial program that used to be sold.
Ltd, a company that that develops various securityrelated products, including password recovery products used by u. Digital law under fire millennium act already out of date, critics say. Elcomsoft and dmitry sklyarov was a 20012002 criminal case in which dmitry sklyarov and his employer elcomsoft were charged with alleged violation of the dmca. Once protection has been removed, pdf files created with adobes acrobat. The justice department should free dmitry sklyarov. The case raised some concerns of civil rights and legal process in the united states, and ended in the charges against sklyarov dropped and elcomsoft ruled not guilty. Adobe made a critical change to the algorithm used to passwordprotect pdf documents in acrobat 9, making it much easier to recover a. Or for obtaining and publishing other ed material, now under the dmca, and owned by wealthy, politicallyconnected corporations like adobe or microsoft. On july 16, 2001, dmitry sklyarov, a russian programmer, was arrested by the fbi. Dmitry sklyarov by federal bureau of investigation. Dmitry sklyarov 2 outline introduction what is intel me notes about flash file system design mfs internals mfs partition structure file extraction mfs usage special files integrity, encryption, antireplay.
Dmitry sklyarov, 26, was arrested in his room at the alexis park hotel on monday as he prepared to check out and return to. At the time of his arrest, dmitry sklyarov was a 27yearold russian citizen, ph. Dmitry sklyarov and his colleagues at elcomsoft have cracked the image verification system in highend canon cameras. In fact, judging by the photos and bios posted on numerous web sites, including, dmitry sklyarov is a gainfully employed ph. Legal issues the case of dmitry sklyarov information today, inc. Pdf reader, such as ghostscript or xpdf, or adobes acrobat reader. In a closely watched electronic publishing case, a russian. Skylarov, dmitry case dictionary definition skylarov. Unfortunately, sklyarov s fate is in the hands of lawyers, not his fellow software developers. Adobe, the creator of the pdf format, has actually backed off from its earlier stance toward sklyarov, largely due to the efforts of the electronic frontier foundation.
On a date prior to june 20, 2001, defendant dmitry sklyarov and others wrote a program called the advanced ebook processor aebpr the primary purpose. All encrypted pdf documents will contain an encryption. Russian programmer indicted by brian bergstein associated press writer tuesday, aug. Ebook publishers might think of jailed russian cryptanalyst dimitry sklyarov as their worst enemy. What are dmitry sklyarov and elcomsoft charged with. Elcomsoft and dmitry sklyarov was a 20012002 criminal case in which. States digital millennium copyright act of 1998 by writing elcomsofts advanced ebook processor software.
A russian computer software writer, whose arrest in las vegas at a hackers convention caused a furor among computer hackers, has agreed to cooperate in the pro. The decrypted file can be opened in any pdf viewer e. In order to expose the childishly simple encryption used on a ebook reader made by the adobe. On july 16, 2001, dmitry sklyarov, a russian programmer, was arrested by the fbi as the holder of a software program that circumvents the technology that protects against the unauthorized copying of adobe systems ebook format. His little trick uses a pdf file to bypass the new security feature of outlook which automatically deletes dangerous file attachments. Despite adobes willingness to back down, as of this writing the department of. Sklyarov developed a software program sold by his russian empl.