Re: microsoft updates

On 2008-01-02 Worrell, Brian wrote:
> On Monday, December 31, 2007 4:14 PM Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers wrote:
> > On 2007-12-31 Dave Koontz wrote:
> > > Umm... check out Windows Genuine Advantage.  Pirated copies will
> > > fail updates (as they should).
> >
> > No, they shouldn't. Not being able to update won't magically make
> > people buy Windows instead of running pirated copies. They'll just
> > cease updating, so we'll continue to have a healthy bot population.
> > Thank you, Microsoft.
>
> Many Pirated copies of XP I have seen where infected with Trojans or
> had files missing in the first place.  
>
> But that aside, if M$ let people update pirated copies, would that not
> let more people think they can pirate it, rather than buy it? Which
> would make a larger bot network by your theory?

I don't think that prohibiting updates (or making updating an annoyance)
for users of pirated copies will have much influence on the sold to
pirated copies ratio. Like I said before it's much more likely that
people will continue to run pirated copies and simply stop updating.

So, without WGA you have a significant number of pirated copies with a
nonzero chance that they will be patched up. With WGA you'll have
roughly the same number of pirated copies, only now most of them won't
be patched.

I'd say it's rather clear which scenario makes the larger bot net.

cu
59cobalt
-- 
"All vulnerabilities deserve a public fear period prior to patches
becoming available."
--Jason Coombs on Bugtraq