Slashdot Mirror
Activating Vista Enterprise Using a Spoofed Server
Ruvim writes "It has been mentioned in previous Slashdot discussions as possibility, and now it became a reality: Information Week reports that a spoofed server has been released that can be used to activate Microsoft's Vista Enterprise versions. It is being made available on several pirate Web sites and spoofs a Key Management Service server, used to activate a large number of copies of Windows Vista in enterprise environments." From the article: "Vista is the first version of Windows that Microsoft requires volume license customers to activate. Besides KMS, the Redmond, Wash. developer also offers Multiple Activation Key, which resembles the retail version's activation process. PCs activated using KMS must reactivate at least once every six months. The MelindaGates hack uses a VMware image of a KMS server to activate -- and keep activated -- a pirated edition of Windows Vista Business. 'Looks like Windows Vista Volume Activation 2.0 is a big bust,' wrote a user identified as 'clank' on the PirateBay Web site Friday. "
In Mysterious Future, Vista Activation Spoofs You!
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Information Week reports that a spoofed server has been released that can be used to activate Microsoft's Vista Enterprise versions.
And you don't even need a separate computer. You can spoof the activation from the same machine.
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
Sounds like someone just stole a vmware image from their work that is set up as a kms (many sites are just plugging their KMS in as a vmware guest to get going).
I'm sure that Microsoft must have thought of that as a possibility. Since a unique product key is required to activate a KMS, why can't Microsoft just deactivate that compromised KMS key?
Vista Business and friends are the most likely to be cracked due to volume licensing. However, features are removed in a way that it is advantageous to businesses but turn away most home users. It'll be interesting to see how that works out.
The prize being to 0wn the Microsoft security mechanisms, but more-so to do it before rival warez groups.
The warez groups aren't so much competing against Microsoft, but amongst themselves - for the sheer status of it.
Interesting...our network is completely self contained and does not touch the internet at all. I wonder how this will work for networks like mine (no plans to upgrade anytime in the near future, and since we use the workstations to run Citrix-based apps, it doesn't matter what OS we use.)
Because Linux does not run Everquest and 99% of the other games I like to play on a regular basis. So as far as a "Conveninent home OS that everybody can use" - Windows is still king regardless of what everybody says.
If I had the luxury of having 2 or 3 system in my house, then I would be running Windows for the family, and Linux on the other 2 for myself, but untill the time comes when Linux can have the type of compatibility with the every-day apps that Microsoft provides, I don't think my family would appreciate me switching over to Linux. And that I think, is the main reason why Linux is still not on the majority of people's computers.
The magical number is: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
Brought to you by The Pirate Bay as usual. :)
'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
Let's hope that Microsoft fixes this problem very quickly. It is important that all Microsoft users pay every last penny for their habit.
...Why anyone would run their business (or hobby) on a system that is subject to DeActivation.
Defective by Design, indeed.
you had me at #!
Honestly, I'm going to laugh my ass off 6 months down the road when MS pushes out a mandatory WGA update, disguised as another 'critical update,' that nukes pirated installs.
Me too. But I'm going to DIE laughing when it turns out they nuked thousands of legit copies along with the pirate copies.
I don't object to paying for software, but there is no way in hell I'm going to put up with the vista activation bullshit.
Fooled me once (XP) shame on you. Fooled me twice (and tied me up and kicked me a few times (Vista)) shame on me.
Which is good enough. If Joe 6pack has to jump through hoops to pirate, he might just buy the product. Even better, Joe 12pack (twice as smart) might even be more wary of searching sites because of a legitimate fear of fake pirate sites that have viruses.
In games this is even more prevalent - the goal of fighting piracy isn't to prevent the inevetable - somewhere somebody has enough spare time to crack your stuff, but to _delay_ it. If Johnny 6cola can't get his game right away, then he might have to suck it up and buy it. The most sucessful ones have locked out pirates for 30 days or so. If you've been waiting for months for a game, waiting another month might not be an option. (Some of those might be from pirates distributing a game which still has parts of it not working and crashes half way through - even better for publishers). Obviously this is unique to games, as other software publishers want to keep people out for good.
Inconceivable!
An interesting twist from this is that the most feature-rich Vista Ultimate Edition may not be the most warezed one after all. Because these aren't supporting KMS activation, unlike Enterprise and Business who were both intended for this use. However, for a pirate, that may not matter much, as the benefits of Vista Home Basic/Ultimate (= home/entertainment-oriented software) is probably quite easily outweighed by already available software, often free.
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
If your OS choice rests solely on 'which plays WoW' then you probably have bigger issues than I'm qualified to help you with.
Well, I was with you until you started gushing over Linux. Don't get me wrong, I like Linux too, but I yearn for the day that people don't end a comment about Microsoft with, "Why don't you just run Linux? It's so great!" That may be true, but this is Slashdot - we know that already!
"You can flip over a screwdriver to pound in nails, but why not just use the hammer?"
because the screwdriver manufacturer hasn't installed a "Feature" that makes the tool cease to function, forcing you to call the hammer manufacturer to ask permission to regain use of that hammer you bought. All the while knowing that at some point, the hammer manufacturer is going to decide they want to sell their new hammers, so they will stop giving permission to the old hammer owners to keep using their purchased hammers.
The real question would be, "Why would you buy a screwdriver, when you can rent a hammer?"
Microsoft.Windows.Vista.Local.Activation.Server-Me lindaGates.torrent
.nfo].
...
...
unlike windows xp and volume activation 1.0 windows vista doesnt have any corporate
keys which will permanently activate it. volume activation 2.0 requires a corporate
user to either do a one time activation through microsoft servers (mak) or companies
can host a local activation server which does not talk to microsoft (kms). the only
difference is kms requires re-activation once every 180 days. however as long as
theres a local kms server its simple to keep windows activated. this release is a
vmware image of a permanently activated kms server which allows local activation of
windows vista business/enterprise edition. volume activation 2.0 is only built into
those two editions.
install vista business/enterprise edition with the key [removed, check
using the latest vmware workstation, boot the image. disable vmware firewall.
on the non vm vista right click the command prompt icon and run as admin. type
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -skms vm_vista_ip
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -ato
windows should now be activated.
to check activation status type
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -dlv
tested using echos windows vista enterprise and vmware workstation 5.5.3 but seems to
have issues with the billgates windows vista business.
The "MelindaGates" hack? Is that because people are getting sick of being screwed by Bill?
Even better is that the torrent tracker referred to is The Pirate Bay -- who mocked microsoft's legal threats, resulting in Microsoft appearing to pull strings that lead to an unprecedented, although ultimately unsuccessful, raid on their servers.
It is commonly believed that the MPAA, not Microsoft, was responsible for the US State Department leaning on the right local ministers to get the Pirate Bay raided. For one thing, the MPAA prematurely ejaculated a press-release congratulating themselves for getting the Pirate Bay shut down, while Microsoft was mum on the event.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
The DRM module doesn't block unsigned drivers, allowing injection of attack code.
The license module has been spoofed, which means it's not protecting Microsoft's revenue.
Does Vista protect anything other than media restrictions imposed by producers?
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
You're right. They're not early adopters. They do painstakingly difficult code audits, and certify products for use years after they've come out.
This is a non-issue for a long time.
99% of the games? You're kidding right?
The part they don't mention is that the activation server only hands out activations on networks with 25+ computers. The machine may be permanently activated, but after 180 days, if you don't have 25 unique machines (and no, virtual machines can be detected and don't count), the activation server will deny your request to reactivate.
That doesn't preclude from downloading another pre-activated KMS Server, but this isn't really a permanent solution.
Being against annoying and imposing DRM and copy protection doesn't mean you support piracy. Two people do not equate to the whole of Slashdot, the free software community, or, in fact, all of the world.
... idiot.
Wow, should Slashdot should castrate anyone who is against the notion of copyright law? Either make file sharing legal (the democratic method) or put the 50+ million people who do it in jail (the fascist method). I think we are headed toward the fascist method.
Or they will run out of keys to revoke.
An enterprising hacker might
a) seek out and duplicate the keys of other customers' installations
and/or
b) put in zillions of keys to be invalidated all at once, until all possible combos have been covered.
a) is nearly infinitely easier and more immediately devastating. Lots of high profile customers become enraged.
b) will make Vista completely unusable.
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
Would you feel the same way if MS found a loophole in the GPL that allowed them to start lifting code wholesale?
MS has a certain motivation for developing software, and they protect it through technical and legal means.
You'll find that most people here are perfectly in favour of MS enforcing their rights via legal means (as long as they don't use strongarm tactics to do so... discovering somebody has unlicensed copies of windows because of a tip-off is one thing, requiring a contract that enables them to randomly audit a company's offices is another entirely).
We do object, on principle, to enforcement of legal rights by technological means. This is largely because the technological means are (a) inconvenient to legitimate users and (b) don't always work quite the way the should.
Windows Activation is inconvenient because it:
* Requires you to give information to MS that you might not want to give them, and which they have no legal right to.
* Requires you to effectively get permission from MS if you want to upgrade your computer's hardware multiple times (or reinstall your copy of Windows on a different machine, if your existing machine fails, etc...)
* Has made MS extend the Windows kernel so that it will not run versions of certain programs that haven't been signed by Microsoft. This means that I can no longer rip Windows apart, replace WINLOGON.EXE with a custom program that does what *I* want it to do, and not log in via an MS-approved process. Not that I've ever done that, but I kind-of liked the fact that I could if I wanted to (it's not as well documented as replacing 'init' on a Linux system, but there is information about how you would go about doing it out there -- but that's irrelevant now, only MS can do it).
If you don't agree with what they do, then fine, don't use their software, but how is pirating a copy of Vista any different from helping yourself to GPL code without giving anything back?
It isn't. But who said anything about pirating Windows? I have a legitimate copy of XP on my machine. Label stuck to the case, and all. Do I run WGA? Fuck no, I don't want to get involved with that; I don't want to get involved with something that will complain if it isn't able to validate my copy of Windows through some completely undocumented process that may or may not be correct for any given installation. Perhaps multiple people are using my activation code -- I have no way of knowing if anyone's flipped my laptop over and made a note of the number while I wasn't present. But then, despite having that activation code, I didn't use it last time I reinstalled Windows. Why? Well, the copy of Windows that was supplied with it only installs from a system restore disc that wipes all data on your hard disk. I didn't want to do that, so I installed from a regular retail edition of XP. Which I then had to hack to make activation work, because I'd already activated a machine with its key.
Another piece of software I use validates itself against an encrypted key that has a copy of my network interface's MAC associated with it. Fine, except for some reason the damned process occasionally causes the thing's driver to crash while its performing the validation. So of course I've hacked it, despite having a perfectly legal key.
It isn't only pirates who are concerned about Windows Activation, WGA and other copy-prevention mechanisms.