Mediaguard 2

MediaGuard 2 (often refered to as SECA2) is a Conditional Access System that was developed by Société Européenne de Contrôle d'Accès (SECA), later to become CANAL+ Technologies SA. The system had wide use around Europe, protecting Pay TV content from viewing by unauthorized viewers (non-subscribers). In 2004, word spread that, like its predecessor, MediaGuard 1, MediaGuard 2 had been compromized opening the door to TV piracy.




The original MediaGuard 1 was broken in the late '90s, leading to an intense legal battle between CANAL+ and NDS amist allegations that NDS had financed the cracking of the MediaGuard 1 system, which reportedly cost more than $5 million. The MediaGuard 3 system was to follow.