What to do if Windows is pirated. No Response to "Every pirated copy of Windows is dangerous." First, let's look at the concept of a license for the Windows operating system.

Microsoft told how things will go with pirated copies of Windows 10

As you know, the new version of the operating system Windows systems number 10 will be released this summer. Not so long ago, Microsoft representatives announced that not only holders of licensed copies, but also pirated ones, would be able to upgrade to version 10 for free.

But not everything is as rosy as it was stated. The head of the Windows development division, Terry Myerson, revealed details about who and how will be able to switch to the new 10 version.

How are things really going at the moment?

As for owners of licensed Windows 7 and 8.1, they will be able to switch (update) to version 10 completely free of charge. That is, they will have access to absolutely all new functions and services. new system, for the duration of support of this device- more precisely, what exactly this means has not yet been explained.

As for pirated copies...

The previously promised free transition is now prohibited for them; they still remain illegal without any rights. Now, using unlicensed Windows 10, a watermark will be displayed on the desktop, which indicates that this version of the system is illegal.

Microsoft representatives especially ask you to pay attention to this when purchasing new devices that can have this installed. copy of Windows.

The status of a pirated copy of the OS means that it will not receive any service updates. The only thing Microsoft can offer owners of such copies is a transition to the new licensed version 10 under very favorable conditions, perhaps we are talking about a reduced price.

No more information was said about any other restrictions in the pirated copy of Windows 10

Very favorable conditions most likely mean a paid transition to Windows 10. (introductory article review of Windows 10) The possible amount has not yet been announced, but judging by the company’s assurances, it will be small and quite acceptable. This can also be judged by information recently received from Microsoft that the future release operating system Windows 10 will be the last.

That is, it will function on the principle of an online service, with timely updates and improvements. Plus a subscription will appear (again, as in online services, you need to somehow monetize this OS). This is understandable, since it is stated that this OS will subsequently be continuously improved.

As we see, Microsoft did not keep its promises to switch to a new operating system for everyone. But this is partly explained possible appearance paid subscription. Plus the amount for holders of pirated versions is promised to be attractive.

It is difficult to hide surprise and interest in the new distribution and support scheme for the new OS from Microsoft. Inexpensive paid subscription Now one of the most common schemes for accessing various services and programs. One such example is the popular video hosting site YouTube, which is also gradually introducing it.

Depending on the type of activity (our specialists also work), we often hear the question: “What is the difference between a licensed Windows OS and a pirated one (Windows without a separately purchased license)?

What are the real differences between having a license and not having one?
Why Windows installation with a license costs the user more than a version with a trial period (free evaluation copy)?
What are the so-called assemblies of the Windows operating system distributed via the Internet, how do they differ from the original image?

The questions are not quite obvious, and in this article we will try to consider them.

First, let's look at the concept of a license for the Windows operating system.

So when buying a license for money installation disk, a key is provided along with the storage medium itself Windows activation.

In addition, you are provided with a sticker on system unit or laptop, to confirm the purchased product.

If you do not have a disk drive or for some other reason you do not want to use installation via disk, you can download an image of the operating system from the Microsoft website and install via a USB flash drive (if you have an oem version, i.e. pre-installed on your PC or laptop by the manufacturer, then you will not be able to download the system image). Even if you purchased your license online, you should receive a key package and sticker.

At the time of writing Windows price 10 averages from 300 BYN (about 150 y.e.).

I would like to make a small clarification. When purchasing an operating system, you only buy WINDOWS ITSELF.

It does not contain drivers (they will need to be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website), office suite(you must purchase it from Microsoft separately), or use free analogue OpenOffice, LibreOffice.

The price for an office starts from 250 BYN (approximately 130 y.e.).

It seems clear with the license, the main thing is not to provide your key to anyone, because... otherwise he will be tracked and blocked!

In general, for Windows 7 there is a command to reset trial period(it can be used three times) for a total of 120 days. Those. throughout this period you will be able to use official system with all updates.

The command to reset the trial slmgr –rearm should be entered without any quotes in command line(must be run with administrator rights).

Now let's talk about other methods of activating Windows

If you download images from the official Microsoft website (and this is possible, without even having a product key), then they are no different from an officially purchased operating system - that’s a fact.

The only difference is that you do not have an activation key, so you will only be able to use Windows for a trial period (from 90 to 120 days). This should be followed by either purchasing a license or a new clean installation of the OS with formatting of the system partition (drive C:\).

This is not very convenient, but at least you always have the original version installed on your computer without using various tricks. It turns out that it is completely legal to use official version You can use Windows for 3-4 months without purchasing a license.

Activation of Windows, depending on the OS version, can occur either with a key (it was very popular in Windows XP) or with the help of third-party software.

Even if activated with a key, after installing the updates, a message may again appear that you are not using the original version of Windows, because Some updates include license verification.

Another way is using KMS (Key Management Server - key management service). The KMS server is activated using a special VLC key (KMS host key) and “distributes” licenses to client machines.
This activation method is used in corporate networks, where there are many machines and activation with each hand will take a lot of time. This is a completely legal way to activate Windows for business (not to be confused with pirated KMS activators that are circulating on the Internet).

Craftsmen were able to adapt it for home use. With this method, you will have to re-activate every 180 days. This can be done manually or automatic mode using the scheduler Windows jobs. As a rule, activators assign tasks for repeated activations automatically.

We've sorted out the licenses. In the cases described above, the system differs only in the activation method. Don't forget about system updates - you can disable them, but in this case there is a high probability of your computer being infected with a virus (for example, the recent WannaCry virus only works on an operating system that does not have the ms17-010 patch installed).

What are operating system assemblies and what could be their danger?

If 3-4 months is not enough, but you don’t want to buy a license (no money, no desire, “we’re used to it”).

Windows builds downloaded from the Internet are remakes of the original Windows image“for yourself”, or “for the user”, followed by reverse packaging for installation (RePack).

The advantages of such assemblies: almost all current updates are installed on the operating system, a C++ package is built in, which is necessary for the correct use of a number of programs (including Skype) package dll libraries, frameworks, etc., also usually in one image there is an installation of several editions of the system (from Windows xp to 10).

Cons: the first and most important disadvantage is that the end user does not know what else was added to the system assembly.
For example, there may be a program there to send your personal data to the attacker’s computer, and these are not only your passwords from mail and “contact” and “classmates”.
Since quite a lot of things are now paid for using a bank card, you will also transfer its data to the attacker.
In addition, there is interference in system files operating system, which sometimes leads to incorrect operation and system failures, although almost all changes are made using Windows tools.

So, let's summarize. Because our team primarily pursues the interests ordinary users, and not a specific company, we invite you to familiarize yourself with our objective assessment.

Objective advantages of licensed Windows:

There will be no problems with updating;
Possibility to upgrade for free to new version Windows (for Windows versions 7 and older);
24/7 support from Microsoft;
Clean system without intervention

Disadvantages of the license:

The most important thing is the very high price of the license (not everyone is ready to spend so much money to buy only Windows and office);
Even using the original version, there may be problems with the system operation (incorrect installed drivers and software)

Pros and cons of extending your Windows trial period

Pros:

Same as the license

Cons:

The same as for the license;
Relatively short period of use

Pros and cons of so-called Windows builds

Pros:

+Updated at the time of release of most OS components

Cons:

The same as for the license;
Unstable operation possible;
Possibility of installing malware into the assembly

Microsoft has published the results of a study on the security of counterfeit Windows OS distributions conducted in early 2011 by Group-IB. Experts analyzed unlicensed copies of the operating room Microsoft systems– Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.
About 25% of disks with counterfeit copies of the Windows operating system contain malware, experts from Group-IB have established. According to them, 12.5% of media also contains malicious codes designed to steal users’ personal data.

Scanning of the distribution kit, and subsequently the version of the software product installed from it, was carried out by anti-virus tools from several manufacturers. This method increased the likelihood of detecting malware. Each software product was analyzed by experts for the presence of malicious code, and on overall performance. The study involved unlicensed copies of the operating system, available to Russian users through the main distribution channels: at unauthorized points of sale on physical media (DVD, CD) and on the Internet (torrents and file hosting services).
According to research, 94% of all pirated distributions contain activation bypass mechanisms software products Windows, potentially negatively affecting system stability. In addition, in 7% of all examined copies of operating systems, software was found that was directly designed to steal passwords and other personal data.
In 96% of Windows operating systems available for downloading from torrents and file hosting sites, the original code has been changed - activation has been bypassed software, which indicates the presence of unwanted or malicious software. Viruses and Trojans are present in 6% installation files. Most of the detected viruses and Trojans can be used to steal personal data. Interestingly, 29% do not licensed copies Windows available for download on file hosting sites turned out to be completely inoperable.

If you purchase a counterfeit copy of Windows OS from unauthorized points of sale, the risk of becoming a victim of malicious software and actually voluntarily disclosing personal information to third parties increases several times. Every fourth (25%) of the disks examined by experts contained malware, and 12.5% of the disks included programs to steal user passwords and personal data. It is noteworthy that CDs purchased in three Moscow markets, in some cases, turned out to be beta versions of the Windows OS.
"IN lately Russian users are increasingly using their computers to solve wide range everyday tasks, often entrusting them with the most confidential information, including, for example, access to their bank accounts. This is very tempting various kinds scammers and criminals who use malware to gain access to this data,” says Denis Guz, head of the Microsoft licensed software promotion department in Russia. - One of the common methods for carrying out these criminal plans, as the study shows, is unlicensed software with its extensive distribution network and millions of potential victims. Microsoft informs users of the risks they bear by installing software from questionable sources on their computers. This is especially true for the operating system, which ends up on the computer even before any third-party protection tools are installed, which, even after their installation, do not always manage to recognize problems in the initially modified system.”
Based on the research materials, Group-IB experts classified the types and methods of placing potential threats that arise when using pirated distributions:
malicious software built into the distribution;
malware embedded in activation tools;
the presence of code that is not defined as malicious, antivirus programs, but potentially carrying out unauthorized actions in the system.
Researchers pay special attention to the following circumstance: the absence of obvious threats during a preliminary scan of the distribution kit with an antivirus does not guarantee that after installation it will not contain previously undetected malware. At the same time, checking the installed OS with anti-virus tools will not always be able to detect the presence of malicious or unwanted software. Therefore, counterfeit software always contains high level threats to the user.
“Regular independent examination of software for compliance with licensing requirements allows for timely identification of existing threats information security users,” notes Ilya Sachkov, CEO of Group-IB. - Piracy causes financial damage not only to copyright holders, but also to users. In 60% of the incidents that our experts investigated, unlicensed software was one of the main reasons for system compromise and theft cash" The best solution for those who do not want to buy Windows license This

Renowned Finnish antivirus company F-Secure has published a report explaining why users in Russia and China were hit the hardest by WannaCry. It turned out that most of the infected computers had a pirated version of Windows installed.

Microsoft has closed the MS17-010 vulnerability, which was exploited by WannaCry back in March 2017. Thus, all legal Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 systems were protected before the start of the WannaCrypt campaign.

Since the ransomware infected a large number of old computers, Microsoft decided to deviate from its rules and released the critical security patch KB4012598 for unsupported Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The company urged users of older machines to install an update as soon as possible to protect themselves from WannaCry.

Updates are coming out for licensed Windows

However, there is one major problem: users of pirated versions cannot install updates, regardless of whether they are using an old, unsupported system or a new supported OS. Although there are installation methods latest updates Microsoft constantly sets new restrictions on illegal copies of Windows, so depending on the version of the system, the task of installing updates on a pirated version can be very difficult.

According to F-Secure, a huge number of cases of infection have been recorded in Russia and China due to the fact that pirated versions of Windows systems are very common in these markets.

F-Secure reports that the size of the infection indicates the number of computers that did not receive the security update. This can be caused by 3 reasons:

The patch available in March was not installed for some reason.
used pirated copy Windows (which does not receive security updates).
The computer was installed with Windows XP, which is no longer supported and is not receiving updates.

There are currently several ways to protect yourself from WannaCry and similar types of malware, but the most convenient, especially if you are using genuine Windows, is to install the latest updates released by Microsoft. For users of pirated versions of Windows, infection by WannaCry ransomware is one of the risks they pay for using illegal software.