Microsoft confirms Vista OEM hack

Found on CNet News on Thursday, 12 April 2007
Browse Software

In response to widespread chatter on blogs and forums, Microsoft has acknowledged the presence of hacks that may allow pirates to bypass the product activation security feature in its Windows Vista operating system.

According to a post by Microsoft Senior Product Manager Alex Kochis on the Windows Genuine Advantage developers' blog, Microsoft has identified two ways in which hackers have broken the product activation security feature on original equipment manufacturer PCs that come bundled with Vista. But the Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant does not yet have plans to snuff out this threat.

Reports of a vulnerability in Vista's product activation began to surface last month with word of a crack called "Vista Loader 2.0," an enhanced version of the "Vista Loader 1.0" that was devised by Chinese hackers, according to a March 10 post on the My Digital Life blog.

MS has of course no interest to make Windows un-pirate-able. The reason why it has such a large marketshare is the fact that everybody can easily get Windows; with or without a license. For them, an illegal user is still better than someone who switches to a different operating system, because this illegal user still uses a MS product. Perhaps this person is a boss, a teacher or some politican who might influence others (simply by ordering it for the company like the boss, telling students about it like the teacher or talking about it like the politican). The idea is simple: let people easily use your product as much as possible without giving it away for free and profit from those who then are required to use it.