Microsoft announced a new system that will require Windows authentication before allowing access to critical security patches that help block malware and other attacks.
The program, called Windows Genuine Advantage, will call for proof that your Windows copy is authentic before you get certain software updates. Microsoft said the program will become mandatory by the middle of 2005, and that it covers security fixes available at the Windows Update Web pages.
There might be only two bugs in the idea, according to some analysts. One is that, with the program not due to take full effect until midyear, pirate Windows users can still get security fixes if they sign up to get their security updates automatically. A second is that such a crackdown could mean a rise in unsecured computers open to attack and then being turned into zombies joining broader attacks.
Microsoft representative David Lazar told reporters the company would watch those possible problems closely, while other company representatives said pirated Windows copies themselves could include viruses and other security threats.
But Cybertrust senior scientist Russell Cooper said cutting off security access fixes so totally for pirated machines could still spike malicious attacks, even as he praised Microsoft for allowing users to continue getting automatic updates for the time being. He told reporters Microsoft has few other options when trying to stop the estimated millions of pirated Windows copies.
Lazar said piracy has cost Microsoft billions in the past decade. He also said Microsoft would start offering discount Windows versions to users in China, Norway, and the Czech Republic who find they might have counterfeit versions.
