RemoveWGA

[Guest c4evap]

RemoveWGA

 

A security analyst has released a tool that lets users remove Windows Genuine Advantage Notification, part of Microsoft's controversial campaign against software counterfeiting.

 

The tool, called RemoveWGA, was released by Guillaume Kaddouch, a French developer who also makes a firewall utility called Firewall Leak Tester. RemoveWGA is a response to Microsoft's revelation earlier this month that the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification program frequently contacts Microsoft, according to Kaddouch.

 

"That, along the fact that Microsoft used deceptive ways to make you install this tool... makes me call [WGA Notification] spyware," Kaddouch said in a note accompanying the release of RemoveWGA.

 

Windows Genuine Advantage includes two main parts: WGA Validation and WGA Notification. Validation checks that an instance of Windows XP is properly licensed, and is required for some Windows updates. If the copy doesn't check out, Notification repeatedly reminds the user to upgrade to a properly licensed version of Windows.

 

Microsoft maintains that users install the programs only by choice, but once installed, neither is designed to be removable.

 

As Microsoft admitted this month, Notification also checks back with Microsoft once a day even if the licensing check is successful, something the company hadn't previously made public. Microsoft said the procedure is necessary in case something goes wrong with the program and it needs to be disabled, but has said it will modify Notification to check back only once every two weeks. It said the failure to make public the phone-home behavior was an "oversight."

 

"Once the WGA Notification tool has checked your OS and has confirmed you had a legit copy, there is no decent point or reason to check it again and again every boot," Kaddouch wrote.

 

Kaddouch told Techworld he developed the tool based on proof-of-concept work-arounds that have recently been released by security researchers. "All of the necessary information was already available in some security forums on the net, I've just had to compile them in one automatic program," he said. "You can easily disable the WGA notification manually, there are different ways."

 

He noted that the procedure poses a risk for corporate networks, and that Microsoft slipped it onto many users' computers without their knowledge -- the company classified it as a "critical" update, causing many to install it without knowing what it was.

 

For the even more paranoid, RemoveWGA can also be set to run a periodic check in the background, notifying the user if it finds WGA Notification has been silently installed, Kaddouch said.

 

Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment.

 

Users have been industrious about picking holes in WGA, beginning a day after the system went into effect last August.

 

WGA will be embedded within Windows Vista, Microsoft has said.

 

 

I updated my XP system a few weeks ago and thought I had bypassed the WGA bullcrap using a...er...technique I had previously used successfully. Turns out I didn't. On reboot I was greeted with a message that I was using a pirated copy of Windows XP (duh-lol). Found this program tonight whilst surfing. Don't know if it works but I plan to try it out.

 

c4 B)

[TetsuoShima]

The program only works for legal xp copies. The author did not want to write a piracy tool. What he did was change the wga in such a way that it does not call home any more either frequently or at all. It still checks the authenticity of the installed os. I'm not certain though, whether or not wga needs to call home to place such a message on your system.

 

After the tool was released microsoft allready place an updated version of wga on the required updates list. I'm not sure if it blocks the tools work, but I do find it typical that they can find the time to release new versions of an anti piracy tool really fast once it's compromised (like at least once a month, sometimes twice or more), but they fail to release security updates for the OS and Office for more than a month before some very nasty exploits are patched. Ah wel, I guess there is no money in patching compromised systems, but there is in bugging people using illegal versions...

 

Anyway, I use a legal version of both the OS and Office, so I guess I have nothing to worry about, except for those nasty security flaws that are known to the entire hacker world in both word, excel and windows. :(

 

 

Oh, the updated wga version requires you to sign a licence agreement :thinking: , and discloses what is being send to MS, the timeframe should be about once a month now. Funny thing is, if you don't sign the agreement, you cannot patch your system anymore, besides the automatic update, windows update site becomes unavailable. It's really nice to see how big corps can change their licence after you bought the software, that sort of thing should be illegal imo... :(

[Arktis]

I am once again reminded of exactly why I decided never to use Windows again.

[Guest c4evap]

My next computer will be a MAC!

 

c4 :mad:

[Arktis]

Oh, you mean an over-priced PC? Macs are x86 now. It's funny, because I still encounter people that don't know this.

[Guest c4evap]

No. I mean the FREE MAC a friend has promised me when he gets his new one. :D

 

Actually, I plan on developing my own operating system. I just need to build a time machine to travel into the future so I can steal some new technology ;) Somewhere, hidden in the Windows XP code are the blue prints for a time machine. How do you think Bill did it? :thinking:

 

c4 B)

[MrDad]

XP pirate checks dropped

[Arktis]

XP pirate checks dropped

Mwahahahaha. :cyclops:

[kyran]

if they had not given away so many copies and encouraged pirating so as to ensure their o/s was the one most used then i would accept it . but................... stuff em they lie steal and cheat so put the boot in

 

[Antipodean]

Oh' date=' you mean an over-priced PC? Macs are x86 now. It's funny, because I still encounter people that don't know this.[/quote']

 

 

Does that mean that it might be possible to run the Mac OS on any x86 machine?

[TetsuoShima]

Oh' date=' you mean an over-priced PC? Macs are x86 now. It's funny, because I still encounter people that don't know this.[/quote']

 

 

Does that mean that it might be possible to run the Mac OS on any x86 machine?

 

No, mac's don't use BIOS, they use something way leeter: EFI.

 

Vista was supposed to support this too, but they decided against it in the end.

 

Anyway, bios is the old way of doing things efi the new...

 

 

The only reason I stay with windows is because I know my way around it, I like to play a game now and then, it's cheaper than mac, you can screw around with it. My first choice to replace it with would be a Linux distro and the primary reason for that would be price. Mac is way at the bottom of my list.

[Arktis]

Oh' date=' you mean an over-priced PC? Macs are x86 now. It's funny, because I still encounter people that don't know this.[/quote']

 

Does that mean that it might be possible to run the Mac OS on any x86 machine?

 

The short answer is not just on any old hardware. The long answer is only on some x86 hardware, with a hacked version. And it's illegal. Doesn't really make much sense, other than to maintain Apple's hardware exclusivity. I don't know exactly what hardware works or how much of it out there does, but I remember being very suprised a year ago at some of the reports people were giving about this. A while back during the transition when all this was first happening, there was a site that popped up out of nowhere and it had continually updated instructions on what hardware worked and how to do it. Then Apple came after them. They're still around, though.

 

No' date=' mac's don't use BIOS, they use something way leeter: EFI.[/quote']

That's true. But you CAN run hacked OSX on a generic homebrew PC. The term for these is "Hackintosh".

 

This is not to be confused with emulation, which was previously the only way to do this... you had to run a PPC emulator in a host OS like linux or windows. But of course, all that changed when Apple announced the move to x86.

[TetsuoShima]

 

No' date=' mac's don't use BIOS, they use something way leeter: EFI.[/quote']

That's true. But you CAN run hacked OSX on a generic homebrew PC. The term for these is "Hackintosh".

 

heh, groovy, I just got renamed into a different member. :p

 

But you're right. I just skipped the hacked part, since I'm not too keen on hacked OS'es and I just presumed Antipodean meant doing it legit. :)

[meateater]

So does WGA only check whether you copy of XP is legit? Or does it check all MircoSoft programs?

[Amnot Borg]

There is a version that checks all Microsoft programs. It's one of the "upgrades" you can download.

[meateater]

There is a version that checks all Microsoft programs. It's one of the "upgrades" you can download.

Why the hell would someone wanna download that?

[Arktis]

Maybe if they're masochistic.

[TetsuoShima]

It keeps track of the status of all patches for all MS products. If there is a new patch that apllies to your system, you get notified and the patch installed. It does for all MS products what the windows built-in automatic update does for XP.

 

If you're a legit user and you don't like to be bothered with checking for updates yourself, it's good. I'm willing to bet though, that when Vista is released, it will have a buit-in check for all MS products and not just windows. MS has allready declared that Vista will be a lot more restrictive when it comes to 'illegal' versions. They even plan on reforming the corporate versions (with a key-server and everything). No more easy way out for illegal users, most will have to use cracks/patches/whatevers/....

 

I allways buy legal software btw, there are so many things a hacker can do to your system if you apply an illegal patch. Even 64 kb is enough to open a serious hole in your system. So what's the use of complaining to MS that they have a worm/virus/trojan/...-heaven OS, when you possibly create new holes yourself by cracking it...

 

Anyway, since Vista will be quite expensive if you want good functionality (the home versions are too restrictive :p ), so I'm currently wondering about setting up a multi-OS system with Linux as the primary OS and a 'cheapo' Vista home version for games only. Since that is all I need windows for, gaming. For everything else Linux will do the job equally well and a lot cheaper. Same can be said about Office (OpenOffice). It isn't just a coincidence that so many government bureaus in Europe and Asia are switching to Linux and open source software, it saves money and is performs about the same. One small disadvantage, you have to do some 'initial learning' again, to get familiar with the new software/feel and OS. But after those first 6 months. You'll have saved (as a residential user) $400-$500 while not having lost functionality (depending on what MS software you use this could be more or less, but I'm guessing $400 is a nice average for official users)