Pirating Pepsi's Ad Campaign
Okay, I know that you thought of it as soon as Steve showed you that yellow bottle cap..."Hey, I can just go to iTunes and make up numbers - I'm bound to hit at least one or two correct numbers, heck, I could write a script that would farm the numbers from iTunes like milking a cow!".
I assumed that Pepsi would have a keyed code - you know, a second number you get off the side label....but it doesn't sound like that's the plan at all. Just 10 numbers. I suppose that the encryption is entirely in those numbers, but 10 digits ain't all that much. How would YOU feel if you went to type in YOUR bottlecap and it came up as "already used"?
Unless there's something I'm missing, this is going to be a big sharp stick in the eye for SOMEBODY. Class?
I assumed that Pepsi would have a keyed code - you know, a second number you get off the side label....but it doesn't sound like that's the plan at all. Just 10 numbers. I suppose that the encryption is entirely in those numbers, but 10 digits ain't all that much. How would YOU feel if you went to type in YOUR bottlecap and it came up as "already used"?
Unless there's something I'm missing, this is going to be a big sharp stick in the eye for SOMEBODY. Class?
Comments
Originally posted by drewprops
Okay, I know that you thought of it as soon as Steve showed you that yellow bottle cap..."Hey, I can just go to iTunes and make up numbers - I'm bound to hit at least one or two correct numbers, heck, I could write a script that would farm the numbers from iTunes like milking a cow!".
I assumed that Pepsi would have a keyed code - you know, a second number you get off the side label....but it doesn't sound like that's the plan at all. Just 10 numbers. I suppose that the encryption is entirely in those numbers, but 10 digits ain't all that much. How would YOU feel if you went to type in YOUR bottlecap and it came up as "already used"?
Unless there's something I'm missing, this is going to be a big sharp stick in the eye for SOMEBODY. Class?
I'm sure they had thought of that ? I'm convinced at least some brains have gone into the scheme they will be using. For example, each bottle may have a unique serial number, a unique identifier if you will. Then typing in the number under the cap will then ask you for the bottle's ID, and if they correspond, (i.e. were grouped together during manufacture), then you can go ahead with purchasing your free song. The number could even be on the outside of the cap, (I know Coke bottles here in Oz have numbers printed on them, half on the cap, and half on the bit that the cap is ripped from when you first open the bottle ? it could be that number that it would correspond to).
It's probably as simple as that ? and it provides all the authentication one needs. m.
There are only 6.6 quadrillion possible standard unix crypt passphrases for example. And what if it's case sensitive? That would make the number of possible combinations 839 quadrillion.
If you want to write a bot to bruteforce 3.66 quadrillion keys, be my guest, but if you have that kind skill, your time would be better spent on making money some other way...
Originally posted by Merovingian
I'm sure they had thought of that ? I'm convinced at least some brains have gone into the scheme they will be using. For example, each bottle may have a unique serial number, a unique identifier if you will. Then typing in the number under the cap will then ask you for the bottle's ID, and if they correspond...
That's a good idea for preventing fraud, but in a lot of situations it would be awkward to keep both the bottle cap and the bottle, or to keep the cap plus tear off part of the label.
Besides, unless the lettering that says "Make sure you keep the code number on the side of bottle." is as big as the "Win a free song!" type, many people will have thrown their bottle away and get pissed when the get to their computers and find out that the cap they kept in their pocket since lunch isn't enough to claim their song.
Of course, ten decimal digits isn't enough security. With a 100,000,000 songs being given away, 1 in 100 random guesses would be valid numbers. Using numbers and letters (leaving out potentially ambiguous letters I and 0) vastly decreases the odds of a correct guess to 1 in over 20.6 million. It's easy enough to make a claim system that will block you well before you could barely get started running an automated probe of all the possible codes.
This works out to be 3,656,158,440,062,976 possibilities.
Originally posted by PBG4 Dude
If there are 10 digits (0 thru 9) and 26 letters (uppercase only) and the 'secret code' is 10 characters long, then the number of possible combinations is 36 * 36 * 36 * 36 * 36 * 36 * 36 * 36 * 36 * 36 .
This works out to be 3,656,158,440,062,976 possibilities.
I did the same kind of calculation above, but used 34 rather than 36, since it doesn't make sense in this kind of context to require that people carefully distinguish between zero and the letter O, or one and the letter I.
2,064,377,754,059,776 is still plenty enough possible combinations.
Originally posted by MacsRGood4U
Generally only about 20% of a product or services offered free in a promotion such as this are actually "cashed in". But who knows, maybe this promotion will break the average response rate.
True, but I think it's still a good bet that there will be exactly 100,000,000 unique, valid codes that can be claimed.
Originally posted by CosmoNut
You all are thinking way too hard about this.
Originally posted by CosmoNut
You all are thinking way too hard about this.
maybe you just arn't thinking enough about this. You will probably have to put the bottle top in your PEPSI BOTTLE TOP holder and transfer it, but only those lucky enough to have FireWire will be able to, the high data transfer rates and all.
Originally posted by Nebagakid
maybe you just arn't thinking enough about this. You will probably have to put the bottle top in your PEPSI BOTTLE TOP holder and transfer it, but only those lucky enough to have FireWire will be able to, the high data transfer rates and all.
What the hell are you talking about, Nebagakid?!?! I think all those smokeys are getting to your brain.
Originally posted by Akumulator
I'm not too worried about that... but I do see myself rummaging through trash cans like a bum looking for free music.
Heck, I'm going to get my brother in the States to buy a couple of cases (I'm guessing this Pepsi promo is strictly U.S. bound).
Originally posted by satchmo
Heck, I'm going to get my brother in the States to buy a couple of cases (I'm guessing this Pepsi promo is strictly U.S. bound).
Since the music store is still tethered to the US, probably correct