http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9136086/Pirates_manage_to_crack_Windows_7_activation
Leaked Lenovo disk image provides master product activation key By Gregg
Keizer July 30, 2009 01:27 PM ET
Computerworld - Pirates have cracked Windows 7's product activation just
a week after the operating system made RTM and a week before it's slated
to reach users, Microsoft confirmed today.
The product key posted on the Web purportedly comes from Lenovo, one of
Microsoft's major OEM partners, and allows users to activate downloaded
copies of Windows 7 Ultimate RTM (release to manufacturing), which
leaked to the Internet last week, shortly after Microsoft announced it
had finished the operating system.
According to Windows enthusiast site Neowin, one of the first to report
the crack, a Lenovo disk image of Windows 7 leaked to a Chinese Web
site, then moved to English-language domains. Pirates proceeded to
retrieve the master OEM key and the OEM activation certificate from the
..iso file. Microsoft lets major computer makers like Lenovo, Dell and
Hewlett-Packard pre-activate new PCs at the factory to save customers
the hassle, and provides OEM master keys for that purpose.
Windows 7 uses an updated activation scheme, dubbed OEM Activation 2.1,
which is an updated version of the activation software that first
appeared in Windows Vista. The technology, ironically, has been the
focus of a Microsoft lawsuit filed last January against a former
employee charged with stealing company documents related to the
anti-piracy software that computer makers use to lock Windows to their
PCs.
The crack is not for the faint of heart, as it also requires a hack of
the PC's BIOS; Activation 2.1 demands a BIOS that supports the new
technology. In fact, forums on sites such as My Digital Life were full
of questions from users unfamiliar with hacking a BIOS.
But scores of users on My Digital Life's forum have reported that the
leaked key -- and the process that others laid out to use it --
activated their pirated copies of Windows 7 Ultimate. "Activated 3
computers with SLIC 2.1 (DELL) modified BIOS + DELL certificate for
Vista + this key," said a user identified only as "thavmym."
This isn't the first time that Microsoft's copy protection technology
has been cracked. Vista's activation has been hacked several times, and
in volume sufficient to prompt Microsoft to issue updates that busted
the most popular cracks. When it delivered Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1),
for example, it cracked down on a pair of cracks that pirates had been
using to activate downloaded copies of the OS.
Microsoft acknowledged the crack today, but its reaction was in line
with past takes on the topic. "We are aware of reports of activation
exploits that attempt to circumvent activation and validation in Windows
7," said a company spokeswoman in an e-mail. "[But] Microsoft strongly
advises customers not to download Windows 7 from unauthorized sources,"
she added, then reminded users that "peer-to-peer Web sites exposes
users to increased risks, such as viruses, Trojans, and other malware
and malicious code."
In May, a leaked copy of Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) posted on
file-sharing sites turned out to be infected with a Trojan horse.
Windows 7 is slated for public release Oct. 22, but subscribers to the
for-pay TechNet and MSDN services will be able to download the final
code, along with legitimate product activation keys, starting next
Thursday.
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"Activation 2.1 demands a BIOS that supports the new technology"
Betyder det at windows 7 kun kan køre på vista godkendte motherboard's ?
Jan Rasmussen