Operators technically impotent to stop hacking, says academic
Cable TV is technically impotent against unauthorised operators who keep coming up with more sophisticated technology to hack into its transmissions, a university expert says.
All the company can do is make more frequent changes to its code in the hope of causing illicit users so much trouble that they give up, said Victor Li On-kwok, chair professor of the University of Hong Kong's information engineering department.
'It is very difficult to eliminate all illegal operators because their operating cost is very low,' he said. 'I do not think there is any technical skill that can be used to stop them.'
Code changes once forced users to buy new smart cards from traders who operate openly in Apliu Street, Shamshuipo. But with the pirates' telephone and website hotlines, users can now just call or check on the internet for the new codes, Professor Li said.
'Cable TV can only change its frequency more often to create more annoyance for the users,' he said. 'Hopefully they will give up in the end, as they have to call the hotline to find out the new code many times a day just to watch television.
'After they have suffered frequent disruption when enjoying programmes they like, they may give up. This is the only way to stop them.'