Lexicon: Crackz

Crackz

DEFINITION kracks n: Webspeak for codes that override digital security features

CONTEXT There is a 32-character crack that disables the digital lock that prevents HD-DVDs from being copied--dangerous for the $24 billion DVD industry. After a website posted the code in February, lawyers demanded its removal. The online reaction then boiled over: the crack suddenly popped up everywhere. A song has even appeared on YouTube with the code as its lyrics.

USAGE Content piracy costs billions. But software, CD and DVD security is now so tight that critics say it curtails legitimate uses. Expect the arms race between hackers and hacked to continue.

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TOMMY WARD, whose family has been harvesting oysters from the Gulf of Mexico since the 1920s, on the FDA's plan to ban the sale of raw oysters that are harvested in warm months; about 15 people die each year due to raw-oyster contamination
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Quotes of the Day »

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TOMMY WARD, whose family has been harvesting oysters from the Gulf of Mexico since the 1920s, on the FDA's plan to ban the sale of raw oysters that are harvested in warm months; about 15 people die each year due to raw-oyster contamination

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