Microsoft to introduce Windows "kill switch"?

Filed under: Security, Windows, Microsoft

Microsoft to introduce Windows "kill switch"?

by Jordan Running Jun 27th 2006

Remember when Windows Genuine Advantage became nagware, notifying you over and over again when it thought your copy of Windows wasn't legitimate? And remember when it started "checking in" with Microsoft every day? All's fair in the name of anti-piracy, Microsoft seems to be saying, and the latest rumor is that this fall Microsoft will make WGA mandatory on all Windows PCs, and what's more, will introduce a "kill switch" for Windows that will cause the operating system to stop working if the currently optional anti-piracy 'feature" isn't installed. Sounds peachy, huh? ZDNet blogger Ed Bott has more details. (P.S. If you're currently in WGA notification hell, My Digital Life has 15 ways to kill the WGA nag screen.)

Tags: Ed Bott, EdBott, genuineadvantage, Microsoft, piracy, privacy, security, wga, winddows

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Armin said 11:05PM on 6-27-2006

Say what? Linux is calling?

ube said 3:10AM on 6-28-2006

WGA - rise of the penguins

boneyard said 3:45AM on 6-28-2006

i wonder if it's true, they release tools to turn the system off and then make it mandatory, i don't see that happening.

DMD said 6:28AM on 6-28-2006

First thing that came to my mind after reading this: Linux!

AJ said 9:14AM on 6-28-2006

Well read the Windows EULA - You agreed to let M$ do this way back when you installed windows

Sean said 9:53AM on 6-28-2006

How long until that gets p0wn3d and all these windows b0x3n go down...

KYLAC said 10:03AM on 6-28-2006

its funny i think.... there just gonnadrive all there business away... :D ... tho there just a pack of idiots...
i mean the buyers an the distributers... :D ... as for a message to microsoft... tux says "hi to ya mum" :F :P

AJ said 10:19AM on 6-28-2006

KYLAC, they wont lose there business due to the the amount of FUD they spread and very few compannies and home users want to switch to linux/mac becuase its different and alien.

Matt said 10:21AM on 6-28-2006

This is one killswitch I wouldn't want to engage

turing_machine said 10:30AM on 6-28-2006

If this "feature" gets hijacked or exploited, this would be catastrophic. I'll start blocking traffic to their update and validation sites on the firewall if this actually gets implemented. I'd prefer to load up a decent network firewall and antivirus than risk updating into a dead machine. We're fully licensed here, but I'm not risking MY job over it. There is a small group of Mac people and I'm an oldtime linux user. Maybe I'll encourage people to consider moving now, so as to have the issue being solved before an exploit hits.

Huw said 11:09AM on 6-28-2006

Strangely the free version of Windows 2003 and Vista B2 both pass the WGA tests with flying colours, even well after there expiry dates, which is more than I can say for my XP oem, which bugs me everytime with are you sure this is real when i can see the nice shiney label telling me it is. Someone there does not check these things out fully.

james said 5:24PM on 6-28-2006

Hope Al Qaeda has not infiltrated MS yet, I wonder how many critical systems run Windows.

Joel said 12:14PM on 6-29-2006

A Kill Switch? Shouldn't we have these things for slow fast-food lanes or Don't walk signs. I would defintely take full advantage. But all joking aside I find to be "smart" to take extra enfocing measures on piracy issues. At the same time I am also glad that I switched over to Apple a year and a half ago. I do understand the motivaiton behind the "switch," but I'm sure it will be alarming for those who are not up-to-date.

Max said 12:14AM on 7-03-2006

Good stuff,kill the free loaders

daniel S said 7:32AM on 7-10-2006

I have been hit by the Nagware from Microsoft regarding my supposed Illegitimate copy of Windows. It has limited my functions on all the office applications - I.E on Word, I cannot save or open new documents - I can only view the ones currently on my PC. This, as you can imagine, is infuriating as I purchased my PC from a supposedly legit shop.

Anyone with any ideas how I can return my office software to its original state?

Thanks

Dan

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