Portrait Innovations was a chain of photography studios that offered professional portraits at affordable prices. They also provided customers with a CD containing low-resolution photos and encrypted high-resolution photos in a proprietary format called PI2. These files could only be opened by the Portrait Innovations software, which required a license key and an internet connection to work.
However, in late 2023, Portrait Innovations abruptly closed all its locations and filed for bankruptcy, leaving many customers with unusable PI2 files and no way to access their high-quality photos. Some customers tried to contact the company or the photographers, but they received no response or were told that the files were lost or corrupted. Others tried to find a way to crack the PI2 files and convert them to a standard format like JPEG or PNG, but they faced many challenges and difficulties.
In this article, we will explore some of the methods and tools that have been used or proposed by hackers, researchers, and enthusiasts to crack the PI2 files and recover the original photos. We will also discuss some of the ethical and legal implications of doing so, as well as some of the risks and limitations involved.
One of the most obvious ways to crack the PI2 files is to reverse engineer the Portrait Innovations software and find out how it decrypts and displays the files. This would require access to a copy of the software, which could be obtained from a CD that came with the portraits, or from an online source. However, this method is not easy or straightforward, as the software is protected by various anti-reversing techniques, such as obfuscation, encryption, and code signing.
Some hackers have attempted to reverse engineer the Portrait Innovations software using tools like IDA Pro, OllyDbg, x64dbg, Ghidra, or Radare2. They have managed to identify some of the functions and variables involved in the decryption process, but they have not been able to extract the secret key or algorithm that is used to decrypt the PI2 files. Moreover, they have encountered several problems and errors when trying to run or modify the software, such as license verification failures, network connection issues, or corrupted files.
Therefore, reverse engineering the Portrait Innovations software is not a reliable or feasible method to crack the PI2 files, unless someone has advanced skills and experience in reverse engineering and cryptography, and access to a working copy of the software.
Another possible way to crack the PI2 files is to use a known plaintext attack. This is a type of cryptanalysis that exploits the fact that some parts of the plaintext (the original photo) are known or predictable, such as headers, footers, metadata, or patterns. By comparing these parts with their corresponding parts in the ciphertext (the encrypted PI2 file), it may be possible to deduce some information about the key or algorithm that is used to encrypt the file.
For example, one hacker suggested that since the PI2 files contain both low-resolution and high-resolution versions of the same photo, it may be possible to use the low-resolution version as a known plaintext and compare it with the high-resolution version in the ciphertext. This could potentially reveal some clues about how the encryption works and how to break it.
However, this method also has many challenges and limitations. First of all, it requires access to multiple PI2 files that contain both low-resolution and high-resolution versions of the same photo. Secondly, it assumes that the encryption is simple and consistent across all files, which may not be true. Thirdly, it requires a lot of computational power and time to perform a brute-force search for possible keys or algorithms that match the known plaintexts and ciphertexts. Fourthly, it may not work at all if there are any random or variable factors involved in the encryption process, such as salt, nonce, IV, padding, or compression.
Therefore, using a known plaintext attack is not a guaranteed or practical method to crack the PI2 files, unless someone has access to a large number of PI2 files with both low-resolution and high-resolution versions of
the same photo, and has enough resources and patience to perform a brute-force search for possible keys or algorithms.
A third way to crack the PI2 files is to use social engineering. This is a type of hacking that relies on manipulating or deceiving people into revealing information or performing actions that benefit the hacker. In this case, the hacker could try to contact someone who has access to the Portrait Innovations software or the PI2 files, such as a former employee, a photographer, a customer, or a vendor, and persuade them to share the software, the files, or the key with the hacker.
For example, one hacker claimed that he was able to crack the PI2 files by contacting a former Portrait Innovations photographer who still had a copy of the software and the license key. He pretended to be a customer who had lost his CD and asked the photographer to send him the software and the key so he could open his PI2 files. The photographer agreed and sent him the software and the key, which he then used to decrypt and convert his PI2 files.
However, this method also has many risks and drawbacks. First of all, it depends on finding someone who has access to the Portrait Innovations software or the PI2 files, which may be difficult or impossible, as many of them may have deleted, lost, or destroyed their copies after the company closed. Secondly, it relies on convincing or tricking that person into sharing the software, the files, or the key with the hacker, which may not be easy or ethical, as they may be reluctant, suspicious, or loyal to the company. Thirdly, it exposes the hacker to potential legal or moral consequences, as they may be violating the terms of service, the privacy policy, or the intellectual property rights of Portrait Innovations or its customers.
Therefore, using social engineering is not a safe or honorable method to crack the PI2 files, unless someone is willing to take the risk and responsibility of contacting and deceiving someone who has access to the Portrait Innovations software or the PI2 files.
In conclusion, cracking the Portrait Innovations PI2 files is not an easy or simple task. It requires a lot of skill, knowledge, time, and luck to succeed. It also involves many ethical and legal issues that need to be considered and respected. While some hackers have claimed to have cracked the PI2 files using various methods and tools, there is no definitive or universal solution that works for everyone. Therefore, anyone who wants to crack the PI2 files should be aware of the challenges and consequences involved, and proceed with caution and care.
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