[Clips] Hackers Hit Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage

[R.A. Hettinga]

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 Delivered-To: clips at philodox.com
 Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2005 22:34:52 -0400
 To: Philodox Clips List <clips at philodox.com>
 From: "R.A. Hettinga" <rah at shipwright.com>
 Subject: [Clips] Hackers Hit Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage
 Reply-To: rah at philodox.com
 Sender: clips-bounces at philodox.com

 <http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=166403976>

 InformationWeek > Security >


 Genuine Advantage was supposed to block users from pirating Windows, but
 hackers defeated the program in a matter of days.
  By The Associated Press


  Days after Microsoft launched a new anti-piracy program, hackers have
 found a way to get around it.

 The software company's new program, called Windows Genuine Advantage,
 requires computer users to go through a process validating that they're
 running a legitimate copy of the Windows operating system before
 downloading any software updates except for security patches.

 But the check can be bypassed by entering a simple JavaScript command in
 the Web browser's address bar and hitting the "Enter" key. When that's
 done, the validation does not run and the user is taken directly to the
 download.

 Microsoft said it was investigating and that the glitch was not a security
 vulnerability.

 The hack appears only to work when a computer user is trying to download
 software through the Windows Update service. Some software, such as
 Microsoft's AntiSpyware beta, isn't available there but can be found
 elsewhere on microsoft.com.

 Such downloads also require validation, but the hack does not appear to
 work. On Friday, attempts to download the antispyware program resulted in a
 server error, with a message that read, "It appears that our activation
 servers are not functioning properly."

 All Windows users, even those with pirated copies, can still download
 security patches. For any other software updates, Microsoft now requires
 computer users to validate that their computers aren't running counterfeit
 copies of Windows.

 --
 -----------------
 R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
 The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
 "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
 [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
 experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
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-- 
-----------------
R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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