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Vista activation cracked

Published on 2nd January 2007 by Wil Harris

Windows Vista activation is cracked. Quelle surprise?

With some clever Registry trickery, hackers have found a way to permanently delay the activation of 32-bit Windows Vista.

A previous hack last month involved setting up a spoof key server to generate faked license keys for the corporate version of the OS. This hack, which is rather simpler, avoids running the key server entirely.

In fact, it doesn't even require the input of any keys at all.

Vista runs, out of the box, fully functionally, for 30 days without requiring activation. This new hack stops the countdown timer at 30 days and makes sure that it never goes further - thus giving the eager pirate a fully functional version of Vista.

The hack, covered by Engadget, probably won't work on 64-bit Vista, thanks to the security improvements MS has made in that version of the OS. You can also bet that Microsoft isn't going to be sitting around with this exploit in the wild - expect the first batch of Vista Windows Updates to address this.

Are you running Vista? Let us know your thoughts over in the forums.

20 Comments

Discuss in the forums Reply

Nexxo 2nd January 2007, 16:02

What, already?

Buzzons 2nd January 2007, 16:09

its not a crack, its just deactivating a timer -- and its already been fixed by MS (some blog went into details on technet somewhere)

they will be checking the regkeys for all windows updates now -- so if you do that, your updates wont work -- and you will not pass the WGA checks -- and get revoked back to the limited status... yay!

or.. just block all MS data out of your network on a hardware firewall and hope.

PA!N 2nd January 2007, 16:17

Thats quite "old" news, as there are alreaddy numorus cracked and fully working versions of vista for over a month on the internet.

quack 2nd January 2007, 16:47

I've experimented with this particular "crack" and while it does currently work (validates WGA/Windows Update), I'm sure that won't last for long. The registry value created is pretty obvious, at the moment anyway.

It doesn't actually activate Vista, just disables the timer that tells Vista to prompt the user to do so, and leaves it in the "Initial Grace Period". Microsoft will find it very simple to detect this, I'm sure.

Unfortunately I've not been able to do much else with the copy of Vista I got through MSDN since my PC isn't very well supported seeing as it's got an nForce2 chipset. :( Every time I try to install the official Nvidia drivers for my GeForce6 card, it bluescreens, and I can't get any more than 2 speaker audio which sucks.

I've seen more BSODs in Vista than I've ever seen with XP!

DXR_13KE 2nd January 2007, 17:18

it will be completely hacked soon enough.... and have buckets of virus for it.

TomH 2nd January 2007, 17:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by quack
It doesn't actually activate Vista, just disables the timer that tells Vista to prompt the user to do so, and leaves it in the "Initial Grace Period". Microsoft will find it very simple to detect this, I'm sure.

Doesn't the thought of MS being able to scan your registry, changing whatever they see fit, worry anyone anymore? I'm sure it does, but back in the '98 days this sort of behaviour from Microsoft was mainly myth and rumour.

Now they do it and [almost] everyone accepts it? You've paid for the damn software. Cha-ching, thank you, see you in '08 for Vista 2.

XP's activation was bad enough, but acceptable. If it's so easy to crack, the answer is to make it impossible to crack. Not to have you re-activate constantly whilst checking up to see if you've tried to re-engineer something. Doing so is only one step short of sending a lawyer around to look over your shoulder.

Quote:

Originally Posted by quack

Unfortunately I've not been able to do much else with the copy of Vista I got through MSDN since my PC isn't very well supported seeing as it's got an nForce2 chipset. :( Every time I try to install the official Nvidia drivers for my GeForce6 card, it bluescreens, and I can't get any more than 2 speaker audio which sucks.

I've seen more BSODs in Vista than I've ever seen with XP!

I'm still using an Abit NF7, so there's no chance I'll be upgrading, or at least anytime soon (student loan doesn't stretch to a new Core 2 system unfortunately :().

Ubuntu, dual-booted with XP Pro, is looking increasingly popular.

Might try rubuntu actually! :D

fev 2nd January 2007, 17:45

exploit's been given the green light at MS HQ
aka: well on the way to being fixed

Cthippo 2nd January 2007, 19:18

Let them update, the sword always defeats the shield in the end.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Hill
Doesn't the thought of MS being able to scan your registry, changing whatever they see fit, worry anyone anymore?
<snip>
Ubuntu, dual-booted with XP Pro, is looking increasingly popular.

Might try rubuntu actually! :D

Yes it does bother me and that's why I'm running linux. It's MY computer and I am the only one who says what goes on it, not MS, thank you.

Vista may be the greatest gift ever to the FOSS movement. ;)

Hugo 2nd January 2007, 22:34

Yeah, cracked is the wrong word really, bipassed would be better methinks. Still, the point remains, the only working cracks are ones that will be redundant after the first update/service patch.

Roll on publically released buisiness activtion codes.

quack 2nd January 2007, 22:47

Those don't really help if you're after Ultimate. Plus you'll need a cracked KMS server for Business.

metarinka 3rd January 2007, 03:09

I prefer to get my hardware the quasi legal way, ala major universities get bundle liscence deals where they give full liscences to students for $5 of course you can only buy one copy, I just found a student with a mac and viola a legit copy for $5. I'll do the same for vista when I feel the need to.

and bypasses will be a dime a dozen, it's more in the patch/upgrade path that whether or not the continue to work will be questioned

Generic42 3rd January 2007, 03:18

Why can MS just give up? Linux is totally free which is great, Mac OS is at least liked by it's users even if it does cost money, and no one in their right mind even likes or wants Windows... why don't they just conform? The world is changing and a corporate bully, essentially, is shoving everyone into their pocket so they can make money and screw over all of us who just want something that works like Windows. This isn't because it's the best OS, it's only because it's the richest.

And on the topic of Linux, it's far more versatile, accessible, powerful, and cheap. It'd be great if only there weren't two limiting factors: It's unsupported by anything commonly used, and it's bleeding hard to learn how to use all of it's power. Make Linux easy to use (already is with some distros I guess) and make it common and Windows is out of business. Same with the Mac OS probably, but I root for Linux over that...

I say good job hackers! Keep them on their toes! Show them that they can't control us and our PC use!

Firehed 3rd January 2007, 03:29

But will this let you pass WGA? The Chinese activation servers do (*cough* or so I've heard *cough*). I'm only running it to play around though - by and large, Windows is dead to me.

OtakuHawk 3rd January 2007, 04:41

helloooo "Winborg Vista" :D

Tyinsar 3rd January 2007, 06:20

Once upon a time, before OSs Needed regular security updates, this would have been a bigger accomplishment. I suspect it will be an easy fix for MS.

Edit: Changed "great" to "a bigger accomplishment" since my original wording sounded like I condone piracy, which I don't.

Gravemind123 3rd January 2007, 06:50

It won't take long for hackers to get around all of this, as long as people can make security, people can break it!

scq 3rd January 2007, 09:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Hill

Now they do it and [almost] everyone accepts it? You've paid for the damn software. Cha-ching, thank you, see you in '08 for Vista 2.

Psh - as if Microsoft is that swift in making software revisions (Vista?)

I know what you're getting at. I don't like the thought of my software calling home. Just like when I buy a video camera, I want to know it's not sending video back to the company.

DougEdey 3rd January 2007, 09:36

I have no qualms with my Vista, it's legit.

I don't agree with calling back constantly however, thats just perverse.

I don't mind it if I do an update on security issues that Microsoft know how often I check for updates and how often I use my machine. If however they modify my registry I'll be angry.

*Goes off to make a registry monitor*

TomH 3rd January 2007, 18:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by scq
Psh - as if Microsoft is that swift in making software revisions (Vista?)

A lot of analysts/journos have already speculated that Vista is going to mark a few changes in regards to Microsoft's development life cycle. They've spent billions on Vista and that's partly-due to how late it is.

And it's still not what they originally said it would be. Where's WinFS, for example?

I can see MS releasing another similar product in a few years. Think what Windows 98 was to Windows 95 -- similar, but with a few changes. Though with the added speculation of Vista's delayed mass-adoption, they might just shoot themselves in the foot.

But marketing aside, I don't think they want to wait another 5.5 years before a product release. Little and often is the way forward.

I'm sure there was an article on the Inq about it not so long ago, but I couldn't see it. :(

speedfreek 4th January 2007, 04:40

Quote: