Microsoft aims for clarity with latest antipiracy tool
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft plans to roll out a new version of its antipiracy Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Notifications tool for Windows XP over the coming weeks and months, following aÂ barrage of criticismÂ from users. The software giant has incorporated user feedback into the new version to make installation of the tool and validation of the operating system less opaque, according to a Microsoft statement issued Tuesday. The upcoming release of WGA Notifications features a new installation wizard and will display validation results as soon as the tool has been installed. The software doesn't need to be rebooted after its installation, Microsoft said. Instead of the tool simply flagging a copy of the OS as genuine or not, Microsoft has added an additional "indeterminate" result category and access to resources to troubleshoot issues if users are unable to validate their operating systems. Microsoft plans to update the tool every 90 to 120 days, as a way to react to re-evaluation of the software and any changes in software piracy. Microsoft began piloting an initial version of WGA Notifications in April to ascertain whether users' copies of Windows XP were genuine, as part of the vendor's Genuine Software Initiative to crack down on pirated and counterfeit versions of Windows. Users who can't validate their copy of Windows as genuine forfeit the right to install many of the updates Microsoft provides for Windows and add-on software. So far, WGA Notifications has provedÂ highly unpopular with users, with criticism reaching a crescendo in June. First, the tool came under attack forÂ exhibiting spyware-like behaviorÂ since WGA Notifications was checking in with Microsoft's servers each time users rebooted their PCs even though the software had already certified the copy of Windows XP as genuine. Microsoft disputed the spyware allegation, saying that although the tool regularly called home, it wasn't providing any information to Microsoft, just checking to see if it should run. Later that same month, users complained that Microsoft was delivering WGA Notifications as a high priority automatic update for Windows XP despite the tool still being in a test version. The software vendor has typically provided test versions of its software separately from updates. Microsoft said the tool's license explained the software was a pre-release version, but customers countered that fact wasn't made sufficiently obvious. Microsoft finally responded byÂ issuing a second version of WGA NotificationsÂ in late June that only periodically checked if the copy of Windows was genuine every time users logged on to the system. At the same time, the software vendor moved the tool out of the testing stage. Microsoft remains committed to having WGA Notifications fully deployed worldwide by year-end. Â
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Microsoft Corp. is once again on the defensive against hackers after the launch of a new program that gives average PC users tools to unlock copy-protected digital music and movies.
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A new tool aimed at circumventing Internet filters used by some governments was released Friday, offering hopes for freer access to information for activists, journalists and others.
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Industry group will offer a free program to help users find and eliminate illegal files.
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A fresh version of a program designed to circumvent Microsoft's Windows Media DRM was released on Friday, but the company's saying they're not concerned.
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DECEMBER 20, 2004  - Microsoft Corp.&#39;s announcement last week that it has purchased a small vendor of antispyware tools serves to highlight the growing seriousness of the spyware problem for users, according to security analysts.
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MICROSOFT is working on technology that will give companies more control over whether to prohibit devices that can easily be used to transfer data to and from personal computers.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft Corp. has no plans to add a controversial Windows Vista antipiracy feature directly to its Office 2007 suite, but will consider offering it as an add-on system, the company said Tuesday. In an e-mail through its public relations firm, Microsoft said although it has not built its Software Protection Platform (SPP) into Office 2007, it is considering adding it to its Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) Program, a validation system that checks if a user has a legitimate copy of the software. Windows Vista's SPP feature requires users to activate the software with a valid activation key within 30 days of purchasing the OS. If that does not happen, the OS goes into reduced functionality mode, which lets users browse the Web for an hour before the system logs them out. To browse more, users must log in again, but they will only have another hour before the process repeats itself. Office 2007 does have a product-activation feature that acts similar to SPP, but it is not based on validating the legitimacy of the software and it is not new to the application, Microsoft said. Office has had a product-activation feature since Microsoft Office 2000 SR1. Product activation requires the system to be activated with a product key after being started 25 times. If it is not, the application will go into reduce functionality mode. Microsoft is going to makeÂ validation checks for Office 2007 mandatory for users of Office Update through its OGA program. Starting in January, users of Office Update will have to validate that their Office software is legitimate before they can use the service. OGA is a sister program to Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), launched in July 2005 as a program that automatically checks a user's version of Windows to ensure it is not counterfeit or pirated. WGA evolved into SPP becoming an inherent part of Vista. Microsoft'sÂ antipiracy checking systems have been unpopular from the start, meeting with some resistance from users. WGA was especially unpopular at first when early bugs in its checks were tagging legitimate software as counterfeit or pirated. Microsoft also was forced to turn off a notification feature in the WGA that sent information to Microsoft from users' PCs when some complained that the feature was acting like spyware.
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Microsoft on Tuesday took the wraps off what it calls version 1 of its new Malware Protection Center Portal. The site offers a malware encyclopedia for investigating threats, downloads of Microsoft's latest antivirus and anti-spyware signatures, listings of the top threats and other tools.
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Yesterday, in a teleconference planned for the same day as the Chicago Search Engine Strategies conference, Microsoft announced their new Toolbar Suite, a Desktop Search tool which is loosely based on the Look Out technology purchased by Microsoft last
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The Motion Picture Association of America shows off a new antipiracy tool: DVD-sniffing dogs.
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Microsoft has modified its WGA Notifications antipiracy tool by adding a new "indeterminate" category for cases in which the software can't tell whether a copy of Windows is legitimate or not.
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The new antipiracy controls due to be included in Microsoft's forthcoming operating system, Windows Vista, have highlighted the ongoing threat of piracy faced by many software companies.
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Microsoft's beta version of its Windows AntiSpyware application is available for download.
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Microsoft Corp's  upcoming  Windows Vista computer operating system will include technology  that is designed to prevent pirated copies from fully  functioning, the software giant said.
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Microsoft is releasing a new version of its web browser to combat criminals and competing programs.
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A Microsoft security rival, PC Tools, posted test results today indicating Windows Defender, Microsoft's antispyware software, blocked only a portion of the malware thrown at it.