Norton Antivirus product activation cracked

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/32955.html

By Jan Libbenga
Posted: 22/09/2003
   
Software giant Symantec last month announced that it will add product 
activation technology to all of its consumer products, starting with 
Norton Antivirus 2004. The idea is to prevent large-scale piracy 
operations from thieves who counterfeit Symantec programs and offer 
them to customers on the Web. The company estimates at least 3.6 
million bogus copies of its programs are sold annually. 

The measure may help alleviate the counterfeit problem, but the 
product activation itself is not exactly waterproof. The Register had 
no problem of finding a key generator on the Web and installing a full 
version of Norton Antivirus 2004 on several PCs without Symantec 
knowing it. 

When you buy the product on a CD, you have to plug in a software key 
printed on the CD sleeve. From there, a wizard checks the hardware 
configuration, including the hard drive serial number and 
configuration. 

Based on this information, the software creates an alphanumeric code 
and transmits this code to Symantec through the internet. Otherwise, 
the wizard prompts you to call an automated phone service to complete 
activation. 

Here is where the activation fails miserably. The key generator will 
not only provide you with a serial number, but also with a final 
unlock code. No need to call an automated phone service either. 

The key generator won't work with the trial versions, only with the 
full program which we located on a murky Russian website. 

As is the case with Microsoft's product activation, the technology is 
based upon a key generation algorithm rather than a fixed database of 
real CD keys. All the key generator seems to be doing is reproducing 
this logic. 

Other more obtrusive product activation techniques may prove 
unpopular. Earlier this year Intuit dropped its product activation 
policy after complaints from customers, who had to provide some basic 
information about their PC before they could use its TurboTax product.



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