The BBC has moved to fix an exploit in its video on demand iPlayer service that was letting users download and save programming DRM-free.

Hackers had discovered a loophole with the week-old iPlayer for iPhone beta that meant they could fool the service into thinking they were accessing the programming (with a different DRM set-up) on an iPhone or iPod touch whilst on a computer.

This method, via a Firefox plug-in, meant that shows could be downloaded in full, with no copyright protection and potentially distributed freely.

The BBC said, in a statement: "It's an ongoing, constant process and one which we will continue to monitor. Like other broadcasters, the security of rights-protected content online is an issue we take very seriously".