Content protection from the attacker’s side

Every DRM has been broken. Your protection doesn’t have to be.

Widevine, PlayReady and FairPlay have all been compromised, even at hardware level. Content can still be protected, but only when every layer is designed carefully and implemented precisely, on every platform you serve. GoldenSage finds exactly how your content can be taken today, and shows you, step by step, how to close every path.

Request an assessmentHow we work
Platforms
Web, Android, iOS, smart TVs, set-top boxes and desktop apps
Protection
Widevine, PlayReady, FairPlay, custom encryption, or none
Content
On-demand video and live streams
Engagement
Under NDA, with your written authorization

Why DRM is not enough

Every DRM system in use today has been broken.

Widevine, PlayReady and FairPlay remain necessary, but none of them, at any security level, can be relied on alone. Whether your content stays protected depends on how every layer around DRM is designed and implemented.

  1. 01

    Hardware-backed DRM is no exception.

    Widevine L1, PlayReady SL3000 and FairPlay have all been compromised, and tools that extract content keys are a search away. Someone with no background in DRM can download premium 4K titles in under an hour.

  2. 02

    Pirates pick your weakest platform.

    A legacy smart-TV app, a desktop player or an offline-download feature with looser rules is all it takes. Your protection is only as strong as the least protected place your content plays.

  3. 03

    The delivery chain leaks around DRM.

    Unbound license requests, long-lived CDN tokens, unencrypted audio or low-bitrate renditions and reused keys let content walk out without breaking any encryption at all.

  4. 04

    AI has lowered the barrier further.

    Work that once needed a specialist reverse engineer is increasingly scripted with AI assistance. More people can attempt it, faster, against more services.

Where content leaks

Weak points across a typical delivery chain

Every stage between your packager and a viewer’s screen is a place where content can be taken. We test each one, on every platform you serve.

  1. 01

    Packaging

    Encryption, keys and renditions

    • Unencrypted audio or low-bitrate tracks
    • One key reused across titles
  2. 02

    License service

    Policies and entitlements

    • Compromised devices still trusted
    • License requests that can be replayed
  3. 03

    CDN

    Delivery of encrypted segments

    • Long-lived, shareable stream URLs
  4. 04

    Apps and players

    Web, mobile, TV and desktop

    • A legacy app with weaker rules
    • Download features open to abuse
  5. 05

    Device and CDM

    Widevine, PlayReady, FairPlay

    • Content keys extracted from the decryption module (CDM)
  6. 06

    Screen and output

    Display and capture

    • Screen and HDMI capture

How we close each path

Protection that holds is engineered, layer by layer.

There is no single switch that protects content. We design and harden every layer so each one covers for the others, starting with the ones that stop extraction before it begins.

  1. 01

    License policy

    Prevent

    Rules for every device class, strict entitlements, session binding and rate limits, enforced at the license server rather than in the player.

  2. 02

    Device trust

    Prevent

    Detecting and revoking compromised, emulated and abused devices, using integrity and attestation signals across platforms.

  3. 03

    Key management

    Prevent

    Unique keys per title and rendition, rotation for live streams, and nothing a client can reuse elsewhere.

  4. 04

    Secure delivery

    Prevent

    Short-lived, session-bound URLs and tokens, every track encrypted, and no clear renditions left behind.

  5. 05

    App hardening

    Prevent

    Tamper, debug and instrumentation resistance, safe offline downloads, and the same standard on every platform you ship.

  6. 06

    Real-time monitoring

    Detect

    Signals that spot extraction while it is happening, so it can be cut off quickly.

  7. 07

    Watermarking and response

    Respond

    The last line of defense. If a copy still escapes, trace it to its source and close the gap it came through.

A film projector casting a beam of light in a dark room

Who we are

We know how DRM gets broken. We were there.

Our core team of six engineers met at university, inside the communities that take video protection apart. We watched every major DRM system and security level fall, hardware included, and we learned how it’s done first-hand, long before most vendors admitted there was a problem.

Client-side DRM is fragile at its core, and the companies that build it have known that for years. Content owners are the ones left exposed. GoldenSage is our answer: everything we know about breaking protection, put to work building it properly.

Core team
Six security engineers
Background
Every major DRM and security level, hardware included
Approach
Prevention first, on every platform
More about us

Who we work with

Anyone whose video has value

Our assessments are built for content owners and the platforms that deliver their video, from streaming services to course creators.

  • Two people watching a film on a living-room TV
    Streaming

    Streaming platforms

    Subscription, ad-supported and pay-per-view services, and broadcasters’ streaming apps across every device.

  • A soccer match in a floodlit stadium at night
    Live

    Live sports and events

    Live streams, where a few minutes of exposure can undercut the value of the rights.

  • A student wearing headphones studying on a laptop
    Education

    Online education

    Course platforms, universities and training providers whose paid content gets copied and resold.

Deliverables

A report your engineers can act on, and your leadership can read.

Each finding is written up with evidence of how it was exploited, its real-world impact, and the specific change that closes it. Findings are ranked, so you know what to fix this week and what belongs on the roadmap.

  • Executive summary and overall risk rating
  • Detailed findings with reproduction evidence
  • Prioritized, step-by-step hardening plan
  • Walkthrough session with your team
Illustrative example

Content protection assessment: findings

Client
Redacted
Finding
GS-03 of 21
Severity
Critical
Scope
License service, all platforms

Compromised device credentials accepted for 4K playback

The license service issues UHD keys to device credentials that are already circulating publicly as compromised. Keys obtained this way decrypt every title the account can access, and nothing in the delivered stream ties the resulting copies back to that account.

Recommendation. Detect and revoke compromised devices at the license server and keep that list current. Bind every license to a verified session, and add forensic watermarking so a leaked copy can be traced to its source and shut down.

Not a real client report.

Request an assessment

Find every path to your content, then close each one.

Tell us about your platforms and we’ll propose a scope and timeline for an assessment.

Request an assessment

All engagements are conducted under NDA.