Windows 7 hacking vulnerabilities to get fixed

Bad news for you software pirates. In the coming days, Microsoft is updating Windows 7 so it detects more than 70 known hacks and notifies users if their operating system is pirated.


The update to Windows Activation Technologies is voluntary. And it won’t lock users out of their computer if Windows 7 isn’t genuine. But Microsoft’s aim is to notify people who may not know their OS is a hacked copy.


How could that happen? If you purchased Windows 7 from an unfamiliar Web site – or even via, say, Craigslist – instead of an authorized dealer, there’s a risk your copy isn’t genuine. It could have been hacked, or messed with as to bypass or compromise Windows’ software activation system.


Pirated software is everywhere – and Microsoft hates it, of course, because they don’t get your money. Oh, and because of that security thing.

 How does it work? Once installed, the update protects customers by identifying known activation exploits that may affect their PC experience. If any activation exploits are found, Windows will alert the customer and offer options for resolving the issue – in many cases, with just a few clicks. Machines running genuine Windows 7 software with no activation exploits will see nothing – the update runs quietly in the background protecting your system.

Microsoft will make the update available at microsoft.com/genuine on Tuesday and at the Microsoft Download Center on Wednesday. It will be listed as an “important” update through Windows Update later this month, Joe Williams, general manager of Genuine Windows, wrote in a blog post Thursday. The update also will be available for Windows Server, but via the Microsoft Update Catalog instead of Windows Server Update Services.


“I’d like to stress that the update is voluntary, which means that you can choose not to install it when you see it appear on Windows Update,” Williams wrote. “I also want to stress that installing this update will not jeopardize your privacy; although the update contacts Microsoft’s servers to check for new threats … the information we receive from PCs during these checks does not include any personally identifiable information or any other information that Microsoft can use to identify or contact you.”
Apparently, the update can be uninstalled at any time.
From the Genuine Windows blog post:

If Windows 7 is non-genuine, the notifications built into Windows 7 will inform the customer that Windows is not genuine by displaying informational dialog boxes with options for the customer to either get more information, or acquire genuine Windows. The desktop wallpaper will be switched to a plain desktop (all of the customer’s desktop icons, gadgets, or pinned applications stay in place). Periodic reminders and a persistent desktop watermark act as further alerts to the customer.