Software Piracy
Ongoing coverage on Software Piracy.
Latest coverage
Ex-MS engineer reveals the story behind the infamous 'FCKGW' Windows XP key: 'Pirates started baking the key into images or just writing it on the CD with a Sharpie'
Former Microsoft engineer David Plummer, the primary author of Windows XP's Product Activation system, revealed the story behind the infamous 'FCKGW' product key. The key, FCKGW-RHQQ2-YXRKT-8TG6W-2B7Q8, was intended for Volume License customers and relied on a secret 'binary blob' within the disc image, which was an encrypted version of Microsoft Bob. Piracy group Devils0wn leaked a complete Windows XP Pro Corporate ISO with the key five weeks before launch, enabling widespread piracy.
Facing lawsuit from Denuvo, pirate who cracked the anti-piracy tool in Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, Black Myth: Wukong, and dozens more says they'll do it again
Denuvo is suing an anonymous pirate known as 'voices38' for allegedly cracking and distributing games protected by its anti-piracy technology, including titles like Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and Black Myth: Wukong. Despite the lawsuit, the pirate claims they will continue their activities, though Denuvo reportedly has access to their Discord and Steam profiles.
Irdeto Fighting Denuvo Crack
Irdeto has responded to reports that its Denuvo copy-protection software has been cracked, leading to instances of zero-day piracy. The company's statement addresses the security breach of its anti-tamper technology.
An original Xbox emulator just hit Android and it’s already messy
An unofficial, paid port of the open-source original Xbox emulator xemu, named X1 BOX, has been released on Android without the original developers' approval, causing backlash. The xemu team confirmed they are working on their own free official Android release, while a free, unofficial build is also available via GitHub. Users will need to provide their own system files and game dumps to run titles, with performance varying significantly.
A Florida woman has been sentenced to 22 months in prison for conspiracy to traffic thousands of stolen Windows 10 and MS Office keys via their Certificate of Authenticity stickers
A Florida woman, Heidi Richards, has been sentenced to 22 months in federal prison and fined $50,000 for her role in a conspiracy to traffic thousands of stolen Windows 10 and Microsoft Office product keys. The scheme involved harvesting key codes from Certificate of Authenticity stickers and selling them in bulk between July 2018 and January 2023.
