Windows pirates, beware! Microsoft is tracking you

 

Pirates of the tech world will have to go on a back foot, as Microsoft has decided to grab hold of all those who are using a cracked version of Windows 7, Vista or 8.

 

The tech giant has already managed to hunt down 1,000 such cases, who had illegally activated Windows 7, Vista or 8 and the MS Office, in its move to curb piracy of their operating systems. The traced cases of piracy were the result of a loophole in the company’s supply chain.

 

According to a report published in Computer World, Microsoft uses a product key of a 25-character alphanumeric string to lock a license to a device. Keys are a core component of Microsoft's anti-piracy technology.

 

“Microsoft's cyberforensics have identified over one thousand product activations originating from IP address 66.51.73.111 (‘the IP Address’), which is presently assigned to Earthlink Inc., and which, on information and belief, is being used by the Defendants in furtherance of the unlawful conduct alleged herein,” said a Microsoft’s lawyer.

 

The company said: "Cyberforensics allows Microsoft to analyse billions of activations of Microsoft software, identify activation patterns and characteristics that make it more likely than not that the IP address associated with the activations is an address through which pirated software is being activated."