IP: WinXP product activation cracked: totally, horribly, fatally

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: "the terminal of Geoff Goodfellow" <geoff () iconia com>
> To: "Dave E-mail Pamphleteer Farber" <farber () cis upenn edu>
>
>
> WinXP product activation cracked: totally, horribly, fatally
> By John Lettice
> The Register
> Posted: 17/07/2001 at 12:35 GMT
>
> Since Microsoft introduced Windows Product Activation (WPA) the crackers
> have gone through a series of WinXP beta builds, finding new ways to at
> least circumvent the protection system. But now, taking an entirely
> different approach, Germany's Tecchannel has demonstrated that WPA as
> shipped in RC1 is full of gaping holes, and can be fooled almost completely.
>
> Tecchannel's report available in English here, or in German here)
> demonstrates that WPA can be compromised via numerous hardware-related
> routes; it all centres on the file wpa.dbl, which WinXP keeps in the
> system32 directory.
>
> This file stores information on the nature of the hardware at the time of
> activation, and when Windows XP notices more than three items of hardware
> have changed, it deletes it. Then you need to activate again. You'll also,
> Tecchannel notes, need to activate immediately if you installed more than 30
> days (or 14 with RC1) ago, as that's when the clock starts ticking. This,
> incidentally, is also the case if you do a 'repair' to fix a bust system -
> not exactly friendly.
>
> --SNIP--
>
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/20433.html
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> geoff.goodfellow () iconia com, Prague CZ * tel/mobil +420 (0)603 706 558
> "success is getting what you want & happiness is wanting what you get"
> http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/01/biztech/articles/17drop.html



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