The story is at Computer Times

Both legitimate and unlicensed users of Microsoft's XP operating system software will be able to download the Service Pack 2 security patch for free. Microsoft's increasing concern over information security has translated into its decision to bite the bullet and make its upcoming SP2 (Service Pack 2) security patch available to all users - including those using pirated copies of its Windows XP software.

"We haven't explicitly done anything to SP2 to exclude it from pirated copies," said Microsoft group product manager Barry Goffe. The United States-based executive was interviewed via telephone. This is unlike SP1 (Service Pack 1), which had features to prevent users with pirated copies from downloading it. In SP2's case, the mammoth 80MB to 250MB patch can be downloaded and installed on computers running both legitimate and pirated copies. Users can also request a free CD copy of SP2, although shipping charges could apply, something which the company has yet to finalise, said Mr Goffe.

"It was a tough choice, but we finally decided that even if someone has pirated copy of Windows, it is more important to keep him safe than it is to be concerned about the revenue issue," he added. He admitted, however, that it is more than altruism that helped Microsoft come to this decision.

captbics

They act as if it wouldn't get cracked anyways... lol. Maybe they just finnally realised that protection on things is just a waste of time.

I think they realised that attacks from things like the Sasser worm are being spread like wildfire because ppl with pirated copies of Windows are hesitant to use the Microsoft security updates. So allowing pirate users the use of SP2 will seal up a few holes that are giving Microsoft some bad press right now.

slashdot.org had a long thread on this topic entitled "Microsoft Security Updates for Pirated Windows?", and a lot of the opinion was similar to what you said Messenger.

The thread is at slashdot.org

captbics

Might be just me, but it sounds quite suspicious....

If this is true, i think its a step in the right direction. And as stated its not like it wouldnt be cracked anyway. Its only a matter of time.

all in all an interesting issue. you guys have pretty much covered all the thoughts floating around about this one, but to be honest, im with DK.


M$ claiming they are releasing a 'piracy-friendly' service pack makes me very suspicious. They have never been accomodating to piracy before, regardless of security threats present, so why start now?

its very easy to say '...it is more important to keep him safe than it is to be concerned about the revenue issue...' from their position, and mean the complete opposite, and although im not sure how, what if they include an attack in the service pack, which fzcks with your XP if it is not legit, but only after install?

knowing M$, they would propabaly fzck it up, and thousands of users with legit copies of XP will find themselves dead in the water. M$ fzcking up their own sh!t is even funnier than some loser nerd kid writing a virus to do it.



meh, im gonna treat this the way i would treat Billy Gates saying 'Windows is now freeware': stand back and watch what happens before i jump on board...


cheers for the article though

Thought most of illegitimate copies CORP

should be easy to exclude as CLASS

Maggietobias

This is good news....BUT, I am suspicious.

Given that most of the people they'd block would be those running off of known-compromised corporate volume license keys, they could nuke them, but that would entail re-keying the legitimate corp copies to a new key. Not likely any time soon, as widespread as they are.

Also, given that it's so trivial for the people out there to generate their own corporate install keys that MS doesn't know about to blacklist, and that it's trivial to change keys on an existing installation, I just can't see it being worth MS's time to worry about it.

Their main thrust has always been knocking out the high-volume pirates-for-pay anyways. All in all, best that they let the upgrade to out there to limit the number of vulnerable boxes - controlling the possible outbreaks that give them a bad name is worth more to them than nailing the occasional two-bit pirate anyways.

Just my opinion.