A key code for installing Microsoft’s Windows Server 2003 has leaked onto the Internet, a loss that could lead to widespread piracy of the OS. In the meantime, the battle for “Trustworthy Computing” is still on.
Windows Key Leak Threatens Mass Piracy
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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another great moment in the history of the “free” software movement.
The success of Microsoft has begun with pirated software cause it was much cheaper – maybe more bad – but in the end cheaper and after the end user (friends at school …)
had grown up Microsoft became de facto standard cause of this grass roots movement.
Now its much too late to repeat this grass roots movement. No matter how much keys mysteriously leak to public.
The article says that all those pirated versions won’t have access to windows update…so no security fixes. Wonderful breeding grounds for more worms…yippee…
Actually, the piracy helps MS A LOT. Do you want to bet on how many of the large number of programmers in India started with (or still use) Legal MS software? (Hint: <5%)
This is a big problem in those countries. It’s a wierd situation. They can’t afford MS-Software, and MS won’t make it cheaper. If MS tightened the work on solving piracy, Linux would have more growth.
EO$0.02
so it leaked a couple weeks early- do they really believe that these keys stay secret forever? Most people ‘pirate’ from their workplaces.
…. Do the serial numbers matter anymore after the ‘activation’ scheme that they put into XP or do their server products work differently?
Thanks!
there is no activation scheme in the corporate products. it would make using corporate licensing a pain.
This particular product is targeted towards businesses. Most of the end users that download a pirated copy are just putting it on their home box to play around with and wouldn’t even be a potential customer in the first place. While this doesn’t make it right to use software without buying it, I don’t think it will have a drastic effect on their sales.
the corporate licensing program. And instead require them to active every software. This way potential leaks are minimized???
the potential customers would be minimized too. any form of “copy protection” only annoys the legal users, and it’s copied by pirates anyway.
Should have expected a leak from microsoft …. afterall all the versions of its new operating systems and keys is obvious i m sure they must be using windows for protecting their software instead of unix or linux!!!
The story title, “Windows Key Leak Threatens Mass Piracy”, actually means that mass piracy is being threatened by the leaking of a Windows key. Microsoft must be disappointed
“the corporate licensing program. And instead require them to active every software. This way potential leaks are minimized???”
Not only leaks would be minimized, but Microsoft’s income too. Take for example a big bank with thousands of desktop computers. Do you think they would affort it to have every single one of them activated via internet or phone or mail? No chance! The costs (and risks as Microsoft still hides what gets transfered when activating through the internet) would be too high. Rather they would stick with Windows 95 (those systems work since many years) or change to some non-Microsoft operating system. Also it becomes more and more expensive (in time and money) to manage all those licenses. Even validating that every software in a big company is correctly licensed can be a nightmare these days. Licenses need to get easier, not more complicated.
“Trustworthy Computing” is not security. Microsoft senior vice president Craig Mundie last year (2002-02-20) said “People confuse ‘security’ and Trustworthy Computing.“
the corporate licensing program. And instead require them to active every software. This way potential leaks are minimized???
simple, because along with OEMs, corporate licensing is MS’s largest source of licensing revenues. businesses are a guaranteed dollar, cause they’ll buy a license for the OS, at least one CAL and at the least a copy of office for every machine… not counting all of the server side stuff to support those machines. if a business isn’t quite current with all of their licensing, well they’ll even send a nice auditor in every now and then to “help them out”… when they come in, it’s guaranteed to get MS their money. that’s why they can afford to give businesses things like software assurance(spelling?), instead of charging for upgrades… it’s about bulk, not being nitpicky(cept when the auditors are there). Microsoft Tax, plain and simple.
also, in order to attract businesses MS has tried to make windows easy to deploy(for the most part it is)… their automated installation procedures are decent(or ghost, drive image, imagecast, etc), but it’d be a major pain to touch each workstation to enter a windows key, come back and activate windows, then enter an office key, then activate it… you might as well do manual installs, if you can’t totally automate the process. without automated installs and SMS or publishing/assigning apps via active directory(or however you choose to do it), people would start to look at other options because the man hours would make MS products way more expensive than any alternatives.
anyway, whoever leaked their companies key isn’t very bright, you should never crap in your own nest…
Don’t be surprised if MS itself is engineering the leak! Piracy works enormously to their advantage in their long run.
> This is a big problem in
> those countries.
The same is in fact very true for North America, where MOST of the Windows software used are unpaid for. Virtually all the small computer shops -and I think they sell almost 50 percent of PCs, use unlicenced software. Average debt-laden North Americans are in no financial position to pay for even half of the software their pc uses.
I don’t believe keys like this leak accidently.
How difficult could it be to give those large customers a hardware key with a devent crypto processor that they can use to activate their installations?
Everyone is using hardware like that for their tele-banking, so why can’t Microsoft?
I find it very hard to believe that a company with such an astonishing bank account can not produce a security system that at least secures their products until they are put for sale in the shop.
This is just a political game. First of all it would be much worse for them if a lot of users would move away to Linux. And secondly, the need legislation passed that allows Palladium to be enforced, because they want to be friends with the copyright maffia. So, they need to convince their government that they have to do something about that awful piracy.
But, ask your self the following question:
How on earth can you trust the security of your sensitive data and networks into the hands of a company that cannot even keep it’s own product secure until it is released?
That was the best post so far.
What do you mean threatens mass piracy? MS products are already being massively pirated.
You do know that you need not DL the updates every time…? You only need to DL them _once_ and can then use them on as many PCs/as many times as you want. This is no bug, it’s a feature. (This is true for XP, so I assume it will be the same with the new OS)
They keys that are out now probably won’t work when the service pack comes out. Of course, since you can usually download a copy of MS products with the service pack slipstreamed once the service pack is available, this isn’t a huge issue.
As for WinXP, there is a key generater available that will generate valid XP key codes so you can activate any copy of Windows XP with the pirated key.
I agree with your point linux_baby.
I know that after a few months there will be quite a bit of keys roaming around the web that can be used for the SP1. Just like XP all one has to is re-install it without loosing anything, using a key that would allow you to install the SP1.
You’re right. It is a bizarre title. It either means that the leak of the key is threatening to end piracy, or the leaked key itself (as a sentient being) is threatening to mass pirate copies of windows.
I would rather be Saddam Hussein with a bulls-eye on my back, dancing around Baghdad now!
Seriously, Linux costs less and has a much better safety record. Linux users and admins have a better knowledge of computer science than Windows users ever will
I would rather be Saddam Hussein with a bulls-eye on my back, dancing around Baghdad now!
Seriously, Linux costs less and has a much better safety record. Linux users and admins have a better knowledge of computer science than Windows users ever will
As mentioned in the OS zealot thread, this is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about. This is a classic example of people making comments that have absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand.
actually you dont even need to reinstall xp to do that
there are many pages that’ll show you how to do it
and like darius said, you could probably download a slipstreamed copy when a sp comes out.
// Who is stupid enough to run Windows for a server anyway?//
Oh, only about 75% of the Fortune 500.
And no, that’s not a NASCAR race.
Fool.
M$ products are like drugs: the first doses are free…
If there was no corporate keys, people would not use Windows XP. With Win2003 server the tatic is the same. The “party” will over when M$ push Palladium hardware. PCs will be like Xboxes…
Be Free ! Use free software and say no to drugs 🙂
If there was no corporate keys, people would not use Windows XP.
Sorry to tell you, but my copy of XP is legal.
Be Free ! Use free software and say no to drugs 🙂
Sure, just find me something that does this:
http://www.propellerheads.se/de/products/reason/frame.html
Next.
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Sorry to tell you, but my copy of XP is legal.
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Of couse ! If you pay for a thing that can be found “free” you are very stupid or BSA is behind you…
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Sure, just find me something that does this:
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Oh yes, while everybody people think as you Bill Gates and M$ will remain an evil monopoly.
Just say you prefer Linux for this software maker…
I can use Maya, Matlab, Maple and many more complex commercial programs in linux and there are no differences of the Winblows versions. Of couse, the linux box of my University can run matlab programs os SEVERAL users simultanely…
With linux you can run free and proprietary programs. There are space for everyone.
Of couse ! If you pay for a thing that can be found “free” you are very stupid or BSA is behind you…
Yeah, God forbid anybody actually pay for the software they use.
Sure, just find me something that does this:
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Oh yes, while everybody people think as you Bill Gates and M$ will remain an evil monopoly
I responded to one of the endless stream of ‘use free software’ posts with a legitimate request, and then you come back with the usual ‘M$ is evil’ crap … typical zealot response.
Just say you prefer Linux for this software maker…
???
I can use Maya, Matlab, Maple and many more complex commercial programs in linux
Ahh, so commercial software doesn’t suck so bad once you can run it in Linux, no? So, what does Linux have now, 1/50th of the commercial apps that Windows/Mac has? I’m impressed!
and there are no differences of the Winblows versions.
Jesus Christ, what do they feed these people? It’s WINDOWS, you fucking moron.
Of couse, the linux box of my University can run matlab programs os SEVERAL users simultanely…
Great, give them a cookie for me.
With linux you can run free and proprietary programs. There are space for everyone.
Yes, you’re absolutely right, as I have never seen any free or open source software available for Windows before.
And remember kids, you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars for Win32 apps, when you can have all the functional equivalents you want in Linux for fee!!
Considering the fact that if piracy of MS Windows doubled they would still be making billions of dollars every year, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone at MS did this under secret instructions from upper management. As the new OS becomes ubiquitous, people will have to get more and more software from the illegal Microsoft monopoly.
In monopolies, companies give away or offer at sub-cost prices their products. Then, when the monopoly product is firmly a part of the system, the company raises prices. Individual consumers are forced to pay far more just to be able to have other products that depend upon the monopoly’s product to work.
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I responded to one of the endless stream of ‘use free software’ posts with a legitimate request, and then you come back with the usual ‘M$ is evil’ crap … typical zealot response.
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And who are you ? A pro-M$hit troll
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Ahh, so commercial software doesn’t suck so bad once you can run it in Linux, no? So, what does Linux have now, 1/50th of the commercial apps that Windows/Mac has? I’m impressed!
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The “free” term means freedom to use opensource or proprietary applications, but the operating system is free and opensource.
The lack of some applications is the “chicken-and-egg” problem and stupids like you don’t contribute to non-Winblows operating systems.
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Jesus Christ, what do they feed these people? It’s WINDOWS, you fucking moron.
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It is Winblows, Winsucks, Microshit and so on.
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Great, give them a cookie for me
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Are you a circus trained animal ?
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Yes, you’re absolutely right, as I have never seen any free or open source software available for Windows before.
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Yeah… Wiblows users are bastard addicteds and they prefer to pirate the “main” commercial applications. It is easier than use the brain…
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And remember kids, you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars for Win32 apps, when you can have all the functional equivalents you want in Linux for fee!!
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We still don’t have all equivalents but we don’t pay for very basic applications like you and to be infected by viruses.
Winblows don’t have a free single programming language ! ! M$-DOS has a basic interpreter. Bill Gates must think that its users have no brain to use these things…
There will have space in future to specialized proprietary applications but no for proprietary and closed operating system like Windows or even MacOS.
[QUOTE]
Winblows don’t have a free single programming language ! ! M$-DOS has a basic interpreter. Bill Gates must think that its users have no brain to use these things…
[/QUOTE]
First, it is quite redundant to assume that Bill Gates thinks like that.
Second, if you want to code, why don’t you download one of those free compilers for Windows that float everywhere on the net?
Just because the compilers don’t come standard with the OS, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t there.
Detonite