| Feature Category | Key Capability | | :--- | :--- | | | Real-time Encryption Key & Entitlement Server | | Security | Conax Cloaking, ChipSet Pairing, Forensic Watermarking | | Device Support | Smart Cards, Set-top boxes (STBs), Mobile Apps (DRM) | | Deployment | On-premise, Cloud, or Hybrid | | Output Protocols | DVB-CSA, AES-128, Verimatrix (via bridge), MPEG-TS |
This DCW is sent back to the CAM, which uses the Common Scrambling Algorithm (CSA) to turn the encrypted data into a viewable picture. Software Variants and Hardware Integration
Conax key software either acts as the pipeline to feed these keys to a physical card properly or attempts to intercept and simulate this process using extracted keys. The Evolution: From Static Keys to Advanced Security Conax Key Software
Your smart card can't directly decrypt the ECW. It first needs a secondary key: the Operational Key. This key is common to all cards for a specific service (e.g., all Canal Digital subscribers have the same Operational Key). The card uses the Operational Key in an RSA decryption algorithm to unlock the ECW and produce a Decoded Control Word (DCW), which is then passed to the receiver to descramble the channel.
Modern deployments under the platform have rendered basic key editing obsolete for premium, high-definition, and 4K content. Security has migrated from the smartcard alone into Advanced Chipset Pairing (CI+) . | Feature Category | Key Capability | |
[Video/Audio Stream] │ ▼ [Scrambler (Encrypted via CW)] ──► [Subscriber Screen] ▲ ▲ │ │ (De-scrambled via CW) [ECM (Contains CW)] ───────────────────┤ ▲ │ │ (Encrypted via Master Key) │ [EMM (Contains Master Key)] ───────────┘ The Three-Tier Key Hierarchy
It supports various platforms, from traditional satellite to advanced IP-based streaming. It first needs a secondary key: the Operational Key
Conax systems operate on a foundation of advanced cryptographic technologies to guard against piracy.
The security is managed through a hierarchy of keys. At the base are that decrypt the actual audio and video streams in real-time. To secure these, the system uses a Control Word Pairing Key (CWPK) , which encrypts the CWs during transmission. Furthermore, master keys (often labelled Key10 in technical circles) are unique to each smart card, and RSA encryption is employed to secure communication between the card and the decoder. This multi-layered approach makes Conax one of the more resilient security systems in the broadcast industry.