Digital content delivery and security company Irdeto announced today that Netflix plans to use its Cloakware Embedded Security as one of many tools to protect streaming media.
Irdeto's technology allows Netflix to protect its content across a wide variety of devices without rewriting the content's security. In addition, it protects content throughout its entire life cycle, and not just during distribution.
Irdeto describes the technology behind Cloakware like so:
The full [Cloakware] suite includes a transformation engine that scrambles code and hinders reverse engineering and tampering; platform agnostic white-box cryptography and other supporting assets including anti-debug protection, validation tools to detect tampering of code modules and data file encryption.
Now that Netflix is finally beginning to spread to mobile devices -- it's on the iPad, and will be coming to the iPhone and Windows Phone 7 devices -- it's no surprise that the company is trying to figure out ways to simplify its protection schemes.
Better content security will strengthen Netflix's relationships with movie studios and television companies. It will offer media companies piece of mind about making their content available through Netflix's streaming service -- which is helpful for both existing media relationships, and those that have been avoiding the streaming media bandwagon.
Cloakware Embedded Security will also allow Netflix to easily protect bring its streaming content to more consumer devices. Not only will it be technically easier to build on security solution across multiple platforms, but it will also ensure that media companies feel that their content is protected no matter where Netflix brings it.
Irdeto has headquarters in Beijing and Amsterdam, and employs about 850 people around the world. It's a subsidiary of Naspers, a multinational media company based out of Cape Town, South Africa.