Hackers have apparently managed to crack the encryption systems of most Europe’s major pay-TV operators, according to a report in weekly German news magazine Focus. The magazine said in a report that hackers had placed the necessary decryption codes on the Internet. Also, some dealers in Germany sell manipulated smartcards for set-top-boxes in Germany which can be used for gaining illegal access, among others, to Premiere World and Canal Plus’ bouquets for France and Italy. Focus reports that in many cases, the codes are downloaded from the Internet and then written onto original cards which are sold together with set-top-boxes, adding that for example a Bavarian dealer made a profit of more than DM30,000 (Euro15,000) in one month by selling those manipulated cards. In particular non-German residents who want to receive their domestic TV channels pay up to DM600 for an illegal smartcard.
