Vista Keys Cracked
Poster: Rich
Posted on March 2, 2007 at 4:30:26 PM
Apparently, Vista's key system has been cracked. The article points out that it's only a matter of time before new retail copies are activated before they're even purchased. Legitimate users will then be unable to use the expensive OS they just purchased and will be treated like pirates. I thought Vista was pirate proof; Or at least pirate preventative at the most basic point of its keys. How is tech support in Bangalore going to handle it when genuine users call up pissed that the key in the box doesn't work?..... http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37941
Quote
" It is a simple brute force attack, dumb as a rock that just tries keys. If it gets one, you manually have to check it and try activation. Is is ugly, takes hours, is far from point and click, but it is said to work. I don't have any Vista installs because of the anti-user licensing so I have not tested it personally. The method of attack has got to be quite troubling for MS on many grounds. The crack is a glorified guesser, and with the speed of modern PCs and the number of outstanding keys, the 25-digit serials are within range. The biggest problem for MS? If this gets widespread, and I hope it will, people will start activating legit keys that are owned by other people. It won't take long for boxes bought at retail to be activated before they are bought, and the people who plunk down money for the mal^h^h^hsoftware, for real, get 'you are a filthy pirate' messages."