[sionnsar]

ping

[EagleUSA]

Justice comes in varying forms.

[atomicpossum]

Microsoft is going to have to admit that 'security' is just a relative concept. They still believe it's absolute, and it just isn't, ESPECIALLY in the electronic world.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

To make matters worse, Microsoft will have to decide if it is worth it to allow people to take back legit keys that have been hijacked, or tell customers to go away, we have your money already, read your license agreement and get bent, we owe you nothing.'"

My guess is that Microsoft will do the latter, judging by its past high levels of customer service.

[shorty_harris]

Activation is the reason I never went with Windows XP. I just didn't want to deal with it. I'm still cruising along with Windows 2000 Pro (although I'm typing this with my Dell laptop using Mepis linux). I remember people being upset with activation when XP came out, but it looks like most folks finally accepted it, just like they will with Vista.

[Barrett 50BMG]

Why is it alright to steal from MS but not for Adobe, Apple or any of the the others?

[Barrett 50BMG]

and this has nothing to do with security.

[sionnsar]

ping

[KoRn]

ping

[KoRn]

You would think this would be easy to stop or slow down from the server side. If repeated activation attempts are made in a short time from the same remote address, just block the remote address for a duration.

[wastedyears]

Which is why I'm boycotting Vista.

[Leatherneck_MT]

Microsoft's continuing arrogance is backed up by the fact that people in general, are nothing but sheep that will baa baa baa, but do nothing to change their buying habits.

[ShadowAce]

[goldstategop]

The hackers cracked Vista. It took them a few weeks to do it.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[JerseyHighlander]

Also read that you can install a working vista installation using only the update Vista DVD if you install vista twice over itself on a clean partition.

details here:

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/pcs/how-to-install-a-vista-upgrade-on-a-blank-hard-drive-232770.php

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/12/cheap_vista_for_everyone/

[Redcloak]

Yet another reason to not rent software from MSFT.

[supercat]

The code is floating, the method is known, and there is nothing MS can do at this point other than suck it down and prepare for the problems this causes.

I don't see the major problem here for Microsoft. For any given hardware activation key sent to Microsoft, there's only going to be one genuine activation code out of a something like a quintillion superficially-valid ones. If Microsoft includes in the initial Vista release a test that will be passed by one in a million superficially-valid codes, then a random basher that could try millions of codes would probably find some that would pass validation today.

On the other hand, Microsoft could very easily, at any time, incorporate another test into its software that would only be passed by one in a thousand codes that passed the first test. And if people crack that one, Microsoft could implement yet another test that would only be passed by one in a thousand codes that passed the first two. And even after doing that, Microsoft could still pull another one-in-a-thousand out of its hat.

[steve-b]

It turns out that the so-called "brute force key generator" was written by that guy who was lying in a tub of ice after his kidneys were stolen while he was waiting for his check from Bill Gates for forwarding a chain e-mail.