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Norway's one-stop hacking expert, Jon Lech Johansen, has now reverse-engineered the encryption coding in Windows Media Player that prevents .NSC files from being accessed by users of other platforms.Geek-to-nerd translation: An .NSC file carries information about a media stream, including the port name and file address of the stream server. When Media Player opens the file, it decodes this information and connects to the stream server the code specifies. Johansen doesn't believe there's a rational reason to encrypt this information since, upon opening the stream, the information is usually displayed by the network utility running the stream anyway. Johansen reportedly said that his hack will make WMP streams available to users of open source streaming media players, such as VideoLAN Client (VLC).

Microsoft defends the encryption, saying it adds a layer of insulation to streaming servers that prevents malicious hackers from attacking them. Johansen thinks it's about offering proprietary content.

Johansen first attained notoriety when he was sued for creating DeCSS, a utility that circumvented the copy protection built into the DVD format. He won that case when the court decided that he had not violated the law when he created a program that allowed him to watch DVDs on his open-source computer. Johansen also hacked Apple's iTunes DRM scheme.

Now if only someone would tell him that he's not allowed to create a lasting peace in the Middle East.