James Delahunty
3 Mar 2007 19:57
Well known warez group PARADOX has provided tools that will make Microsoft's anti-piracy aims for Windows Vista much tougher. The group has provided tools and information on how to trick a Vista installation (x86) into acting as if it is installed on an OEM machine, which requires no product activation. Manufacturers such as Dell distribute pre-installed Vista installations on new computers.
These companies embed certain license information into their hardware products, which can be validated by a Windows Vista installation, removing the need for further activation procedures. The installation required hardware-embedded BIOS ACPI_SLIC information signed by Microsoft. So this method takes advantage of how Vista validates on OEM machines.
By using a device driver, BIOS ACPI_SLIC information can be fed to Windows Vista's licensing mechanism. This, combined with an matching product key and OEM certificate, will render any system practically indistinguishable from a legit pre-activated system shipped by the respective OEM.
The PARADOX release covers all the requirements and is reported to work as promised. It will be interesting to see how Microsoft will respond to this latest hack.