Nikon's image authentication algorithm cracked

Researchers have discovered a flaw in the system used by Nikon professional digital cameras to ensure images have not been tampered with.

Normally, in high-end SLR digital cameras a unique and encrypted signing key is appended to an image when it is taken, which is verified in Nikon's case by its proprietary Image Authentication System. If an image is edited this key will be overwritten, an action that will be picked up by the software.

Russian company Elcomsoft, however, said that it has found a way to extract the original verification key so that it can be attached to any image regardless of whether it has been edited or not. The security hole is said to affect all Nikon digital cameras supporting the verification system, specifically the D3X, D3, D700, D300S, D300, D2Xs, D2X, D2Hs, and D200 SLRs.