Microsoft wants personal data of Comcast subscriber who activated thousands of stolen Windows keys

[Batu69]

 

Microsoft wants the personal details of a Comcast subscriber that has activated thousands of copies of Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server and Office 10 using stolen or abused codes. The company has asked a federal judge permission to serve Comcast with a subpoena to identify the pirate.

 

So far Microsoft has been unable to trace the pirate that activated thousands of stolen Office and Windows keys. According to Computerworld, the keys were stolen from Microsoft’s supply chain and a single IP address was used to activate the products.

 

The only information Microsoft was able to obtain about the pirate is the used IP address and the date and time of each attempt of the user to activate the stolen keys. Therefore the company wants the personal details of the owner of the IP address which belongs to a Comcast subscriber.

 

Also, if the actual ISP of the user is a Comcast downstream ISP, Microsoft wants that ISP’s name and the right to subpoena that firm as well.

If Microsoft is able to find the pirate he will have to pay all general, special, actual, and statutory damages for pirating the software.

 

Article source

[shorty6100]

Like Microsoft doesn't already know........

[edwardecl]

An IP address does not prove who was using it, bit of a waste of time.

And LOL at Microsoft allowing so many keys to be activated from a single IP.

[straycat19]

2 hours ago, edwardecl said:

An IP address does not prove who was using it, bit of a waste of time.

And LOL at Microsoft allowing so many keys to be activated from a single IP.

 

You obviously aren't aware of Windows activation in large entities.  Universities, for example, activate 15,000 licenses or more from one IP, one university I am familiar with did over 43,000 activations since June 2015.  There are logs and fingerprints that make verifying the IP and activity very easy.  If the pirate did not destroy his computer completely he could even be identified by MAC, HWID, or other hardware footprint.  That is easy to do just by monitoring all the traffic from one IP.  The fact that this went on for a long period of time and records exist, and I am sure Microsoft and the ISP has a ton of records on this, put the pirate in a dark hole by himself.  Don't expect Microsoft to reveal all the information they have in the initial request, just enough to get the information they are requesting.  Requests for subpoenas only require a minimum of information and rarely are the requesting agencies putting all their cards on the table so they don't show their hand. Pirates have been found and convicted with much less information and using your home computer and IP for anything is ludicrous.  If you want to do something illegal, go to a free WiFi, like McDonald's or the local coffee shop (favorite haunts of pedophiles), spoof your MAC, and do whatever it is you are doing.  Just don't use the same access point twice in the same month.  And don't forget that their are people who like to go to coffee shops and monitor peoples WiFi activity just for the hell of it.