Software crackers have reportedly developed a technique that bypasses the complex anti-piracy system protecting Microsoft鈥檚 new operating system Windows XP.
Engineers at a UK computer security company have tested the method and say they have successfully used it to install the same copy of the operating system on more than one computer, something that Microsoft hopes to prevent with Windows XP.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unbelievable to be honest,鈥� says John Safa, chief technical officer of Bit Arts, the company that has tested the crack. 鈥淭he cracking community appear to have bypassed the product activation altogether.鈥�
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Safa says that the tools are already available on the internet. These consist of a number of customised files and an executable software 鈥減atch鈥�. They deactivate the system that links Windows XP to a particular PC, making it possible to install the software on any number of computers.
Broken windows
Microsoft is still investigating the allegations and has not confirmed that it works. Nevertheless, the company is working to have web sites that provide the files shut down.
The company also stresses the product activation system that comes with Windows XP is not meant to be infallible. 鈥淧roduct activation is not adequate to stop sophisticated piracy,鈥� says a spokeswoman.
The product activation system in Windows XP is designed to prevent owners installing multiple operating systems without a license for each. This 鈥渃asual copying鈥� has been a major piracy problem in the past, says Microsoft.
Casual copying
Once Windows XP is installed on a computer, the new operating system locates unique serial numbers built into different pieces of the hardware and generates a unique key. The next part of the installation is to register this key over the internet or by telephone with Microsoft. Then, the same version of XP cannot be registered with Microsoft for a different computer.
However, so that corporate customers do not have to distribute thousands of disks and serial numbers, a single 鈥渕aster鈥� key exists that can bypass all this security for a special version of the operating system. Safa says that crackers have apparently obtained a copy of a master key and discovered a way to make it work with consumer editions of Windows XP.
According to one independent security expert, the security protecting Microsoft鈥檚 software has often been bypassed in the past. David Litchfield of Next Generation Security Software, based in the UK, says: 鈥淚t wouldn鈥檛 surprise me if this worked. This has always been the way with Microsoft products.鈥�