A Potential Microsoft Inflicted Epidemic
Microsoft has long been working to stamp out illegal software and copywrite issues related to the installation of unlicensed or cracked versions of its operating system.
Recently many people are finding that their installations of products like XP can no longer be upgraded because their system fails the Genuine Windows Validation. Of course there are lots of reasons this can happen, granted some have a shady nature to them.
Problem is that folks are not necessarily electing to update their machines and to install that new OS. So that means that they are no longer putting in the necessary security patches.
A question that has come across this authors desk is as system patching falls off are we not opening up a huge window for hackers and virus to run wild like an epidemic?
I can't help but wonder if some hacker manages to infect enough of these orphaned PC's that he/she might have a very large install base from which to launch an attack.
So is this a good idea that Microsoft has to prevent updating for a existing OS that is still heavy in production.
It would be interesting to see if there are legal cases where folks with genuine software are being denied updates when Microsoft should be providing security patches. If and when the eventual killer virus comes around and that epidemic hits. Are there folks that could legally sue Microsoft for denying them protection through some glitch or more likely an over aggressive validation test.
Microsoft of course has no legal obligation to be a good corporate citizen. It is entirely up to them to pull the plug on systems which it determins to have license infractions. Afterall most are home users and students and are not the decision makeers in large corporateion correct? But what if their policy turns around and causes an attack on legitimate licensed users. Is Microsoft in this case still providing reasonable care and concern for it's licensed user population?
Ross McCubbin, Amik Technology April 8, 2007
MS server error marks PCs as "nongenuine" Aug 28, 2007
"Microsoft has blamed an unspecified server problem for a 19-hour stretch during which paying users of Windows XP and Vista were accused by the company's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation system of running pirated software. Any Vista system fingered during the episode was stripped of some features, including the operating system's Aero graphical interface.
As of Saturday at 3 p.m. EDT, Microsoft said the problem had been fixed."
"We are aware it is a server-side issue," said Phil Liu , a Microsoft program manager in the WGA group. "But the cause is unknown at this current time."
SEE ARNnet.com ... for the rest of the story
Unpatched software abounds on user systems Sept 6, 2007
"After we recommended that our readers use Secunia.com's Software Inspector , the link we provided was clicked more than 63,000 times. The service scans PCs for applications that lack available security patches.
...The figures reveal that many people haven't patched their media players and other run-time software: Java, Flash, QuickTime, Adobe Reader, and RealPlayer. This exposes you to infected media files. I'll explain below how you can keep these apps patched and your computer safer."
SEE Windowssecrets.com for more details.
