Windows 7 Ultimate has been cracked, and it is not even available to the general public.
The new Microsoft operating system was just released to manufacturing (RTM) last week, and already a leaked version has been cracked.
No doubt this has Microsoft rather concerned – they are depending on the new operating system to boost their recently sagging bottom line.
Mass OEM versions come pre-activated to facilitate manufacturing. This uses a system called SLP (System-Locked Preinstallation).
An OEM DVD ISO from Lenovo (exact image of what is contained on a DVD for use by a specific manufacturer) was leaked and posted on a Chinese forum.
Someone downloaded the ISO, extracted the boot.wim file, and then extracted from it the OEM-SLP product key and certificate for Windows 7 Ultimate.
Windows 7 uses the same validation mechanism as Vista, so presumably the hackers already had experience with this system and were able to quickly reverse engineer the validation system and defeat it.
This OEM key allows instant activation, without the need for an online transaction to validate Windows.
The mechanism is put in place to make mass activation of many thousands of systems practical. In some form or another, it is a necessity for mass production of computers that come with Windows 7 preinstalled.
The down side for Microsoft is that they can not completely protect their operating system.
To what extent this is really a revenue drain is unknown. Certainly Microsoft will argue that they are loosing millions of dollars due to cracked software. To some extent this is true, although some of the software may never have been bought in the first place.
Software activation is a cat and mouse game. No doubt Microsoft will come up with a new system to counteract this cracked Windows 7 threat.
How about you, what do you think?
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