Is Microsoft using security patch KB 3146706 to break pirate copies of Windows 7?

[Karlston]

It's not clear whether it’s intentional, but the patch is throwing blue screen error 0x0000006B on Ghost pirate copies of Windows 7

Microsoft certainly has no obligation to support "ungenuine" copies of Windows 7, but the strange case of KB 3146706 suggests Microsoft might be actively gunning for the pirates.

 

Last patch Tuesday, Microsoft released MS 16-044 and KB 3146706 as an "important" security update for OLE running in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, and corresponding server versions. At the time, patching sirens went off for two odd reasons.

 

First, the patch was unchecked on most Windows 7 PCs, even though it appears in the "Important" Windows Update list. (A checked patch is one that is installed when Windows Update runs.) The patch is checked on Windows 8.1 systems and on Vista. It's not clear if the patch was originally unchecked on Win7 PCs or if Microsoft dropped the check mark shortly after the patch rolled out.

 

Second, red lights went up all over China that the patch was throwing a blue screen error 0x0000006B. It's a nasty and recurring error on boot, and the only way to get out of the error is to boot with some other media and uninstall the patch.

 

Soon after the patch appeared, I posted on AskWoody.com about this strange behavior:

I'm seeing lots of reports of MS16-044 / KB 3146706 throwing errors -- most commonly blue screen 0x0000006B -- that go away if the patch is removed.

Remarkably, almost all of the reports (for example, this one on site vvcat) are in Chinese. Makes me wonder if there's a conflict between KB3146706  and a program that's commonly run in China. We saw something similar three years ago with KB 2823324, which triggered BSODs on many computers in Brazil.

AskWoody denizen LL wrote to me and said that it looks like Microsoft is still distributing the patch through Windows Update, but isn't checking it -- which is typically a precursor to yanking the patch entirely.

There was, and is still, no indication in the KB article why the patch isn't checked for Windows 7. My Windows 7 test machines currently show KB 3146706 as "Important" but not checked.

 

After struggling through automated translations of Chinese websites, it's become more apparent to me that the 0x0000006B blue screens appear on Chinese-language Windows 7 systems with a specific pirate copy generally called Ghost (most likely in reference to Norton's Ghost hard drive copying program).

 

There's a fascinating description of the Chinese Ghost process (in English) from jimdagys on the VideoHelp forum:

 

This has been going on for at least 15 years, and until today, I was totally ignorant of this practice. I hate to be ignorant of what half the world's population is doing. I remember being in China 10 years ago, and I couldn't figure out why every other disk in a software shop said "Ghost" on it. I know Ghost is useful, but...

Today I had a computer that wouldn't access the internet very well. The technician said reinstalling the operating system would solve the problem. I didn't look forward to the hour or so plus reboots involved to reinstall Windows. Shortly after the technician put in a windows cd, I noticed the Ghost interface came up. I was curious why Ghost would be involved in this situation. After 5 or so minutes, Ghost was finished, then a special driver window appeared, automatically installing drivers. The technician said that the one Ghost cd (obviously specially modified) would install Windows on any computer…  After the operating system was totally installed… I did a Malwarebytes scan… and there were 3 viruses (apparently already present on the install cd). But for now, I can access the internet perfectly.

I lived in Thailand for 13 years and can attest to the prevalence of the process. In the time I was there, I'd guess less than 10 percent -- more likely fewer than 1 percent -- of the consumer PCs sold and repaired in Thailand had genuine copies of Windows. If you took your perfectly valid, U.S.-bought Windows 7 laptop in for repairs, more often than not it was returned with a pirate copy of Windows.

 

Is this an attempt by Microsoft to wipe out a wide swath of illegal copies of Windows? Or is it simply roadkill on the path to Windows 10? Without a doubt, Microsoft's under no obligation to make its patches work with illegal copies of Windows. This problem seems … fortuitous.

 

KB 3146706 may have been put on hold for a completely different reason. As described in this TechNet post and this Reddit thread, there's a conflict between EMET 5.5 and both KB 3146706 and KB 3147071 running on 32-bit Windows 7. I also have a report of KB 3146706 causing a failure to connect to the System Event Notification Service. It doesn't look like

 

Microsoft has fixed these problems yet, which may also explain why KB 3146706 isn't checked.

 

If intended, however, it's an interesting attack vector, wouldn't you say?

 

Tip o' the Baker Street Irregulars hat to Hopeful Cynic and Gord.

 

Source: Is Microsoft using security patch KB 3146706 to break pirate copies of Windows 7? (InfoWorld - Woody Leonhard)

[steven36]

No telling what they used WAT loaders  or what ever in the Ghost DVD  .  The ole update could simply  messed there loader up by it changing  . Back when pirating windows 7  was mostly all they talked  about WAT loaders  were in 0day releases and everything else   they need to switch too KMS  i guess  .

[Ryrynz]

If you have pirated software and an update breaks it, that's really on you. This is perfectly acceptable behavior given the circumstances.
 

[emerglines]

Just this week, I've found a bug like this EMET 5.2 has a conflict with MABA Anti exploit, causing anti exploit to block Office 2016 products from working.
Usually EMET needs a bit of manual configuration to avoid stuff like this.

[steven36]

6 hours ago, Ryrynz said:

If you have pirated software and an update breaks it, that's really on you. This is perfectly acceptable behavior given the circumstances.
 

If Microsoft starts nuking Windows activation for pirates  it want hurt no one but  Microsoft's numbers , People who cant afford  too buy windows are not going buy it no how . If  fixes cease  to work  they will seek  out free alternatives . That's  why so many pirates  use windows is because there's always been a fix . In China  XP  is stll the number 2 O/S  even.  People can install XP  and dont worry about updates . I never Pirate windows other than i have tested it in a VM  ..I always buy windows  but  many people dont  and wont.

[Ryrynz]

18 hours ago, steven36 said:

If Microsoft starts nuking Windows activation for pirates  it want hurt no one but  Microsoft's numbers , People who cant afford  too buy windows are not going buy it no how . If  fixes cease  to work  they will seek  out free alternatives . That's  why so many pirates  use windows is because there's always been a fix . In China  XP  is stll the number 2 O/S  even.  People can install XP  and dont worry about updates . I never Pirate windows other than i have tested it in a VM  ..I always buy windows  but  many people dont  and wont.

I somehow don't think they'd care too much. People running Windows generally prefer to run Windows. I can't imagine using anything else. I like the app flexibility.

[steven36]

5 hours ago, Ryrynz said:

I somehow don't think they'd care too much. People running Windows generally prefer to run Windows. I can't imagine using anything else. I like the app flexibility.

I always  just  used windows  i didn't even try Linux  tell 2015 other than in VM,   if  my windows  PC stop working or just windows stop working and i didn't  have the money to fix it.  I would use just use my Linux PC instead . I can do  most everything  on it i do on windows . The cards  change  when it comes too  adapt  or do without .Money dont grow on trees and you can't squeeze blood from a turnip.   Some people who always get everything they wanted  all there life  are too spoiled  to figure it out.  Even  many poor people have become to depended  on piracy . I remember  growing up poor before the age of the internet and having to use rabbit ears  just to  watch TV  we always  couldn't  afford cable . Now  days some kids have pcs,   cell phones , XBOX,  PS4 every thing they want . If  the  economy ever really collapses again  when you have to pick between  food  and stuff  you dont  have to have you  people  will  figure  it out .

 

Why do you think there's over 3 billion  people on the internet  and only 1.5 billion  on windows?  Half of them are on Cell phones is why.. Some off them may just prefer  the portability of a phone . But for many poor people Android  Phones  is the only computer with the internet they ever had .

 

 

I think Microsoft  does care that more people are buying  Android , IOS  and OSX  units  than windows units  in the shops  and online right now.. Or they would of never  gave windows  away free to millions of people this is one way to try to keep a strong hold on  its users. They made it  for 40 years  and  it it started out as  a software to sell on units  they never needed  to  give it away like this before.. It seems the people who don't care are the end users of Windows you're  not  the ones losing  money on it Microsoft is.. And the end user dont make business decisions for them.  Even if you're a beta tester there not going to listen  to you unless  you're  idea for there O/S  fits  into  there agenda.

 

Since  2012 Microsoft  has been making there own units  there agenda to be able sell there own units  like apple does and be able  to control the 3rd party unit markers too.

 

 Microsoft Surface tablets are selling OK  but the old dinosaur Desktops  and Laptops from 3rd party unit markers with Windows on them  have not sold good since 2013 so they had it timed  right to make there own units .

 

But Windows phones  has been a complete  loss of money for them .

[Ryrynz]

On 4/28/2016 at 10:07 PM, steven36 said:

I always  just  used windows  i didn't even try Linux  tell 2015 other than in VM,   if  my windows  PC stop working or just windows stop working and i didn't  have the money to fix it.  I would use just use my Linux PC instead . I can do  most everything  on it i do on windows . The cards  change  when it comes too  adapt  or do without .Money dont grow on trees and you can't squeeze blood from a turnip.   Some people who always get everything they wanted  all there life  are too spoiled  to figure it out.  Even  many poor people have become to depended  on piracy . I remember  growing up poor before the age of the internet and having to use rabbit ears  just to  watch TV  we always  couldn't  afford cable . Now  days some kids have pcs,   cell phones , XBOX,  PS4 every thing they want . If  the  economy ever really collapses again  when you have to pick between  food  and stuff  you dont  have to have you  people  will  figure  it out .

 

Why do you think there's over 3 billion  people on the internet  and only 1.5 billion  on windows?  Half of them are on Cell phones is why.. Some off them may just prefer  the portability of a phone . But for many poor people Android  Phones  is the only computer with the internet they ever had .

 

 

I think Microsoft  does care that more people are buying  Android , IOS  and OSX  units  than windows units  in the shops  and online right now.. Or they would of never  gave windows  away free to millions of people this is one way to try to keep a strong hold on  its users. They made it  for 40 years  and  it it started out as  a software to sell on units  they never needed  to  give it away like this before.. It seems the people who don't care are the end users of Windows you're  not  the ones losing  money on it Microsoft is.. And the end user dont make business decisions for them.  Even if you're a beta tester there not going to listen  to you unless  you're  idea for there O/S  fits  into  there agenda.

 

Since  2012 Microsoft  has been making there own units  there agenda to be able sell there own units  like apple does and be able  to control the 3rd party unit markers too.

 

 Microsoft Surface tablets are selling OK  but the old dinosaur Desktops  and Laptops from 3rd party unit markers with Windows on them  have not sold good since 2013 so they had it timed  right to make there own units .

 

But Windows phones  has been a complete  loss of money for them .

The thing is though in a couple more months the free upgrades are over. Remember these were for legit purchases of WIndows 7 and 8 licenses. They aren't going to care if their software breaks an already broken OS, it's not their problem.
Windows can only just keep making the OS the best it can through customer feedback and good ideas, it does have a hard life ahead of it in the mobile space agreed, thankfully android apps can now be ported fairly easily to Windows. Most I've talked to love Windows phones, but I can't imagine it will ever rival android in the mobile segment, and god help Windows when Chrome OS becomes a threat to Windows on desktop.. it's only a matter of time.
 

I don't think users who won't pay for a machine with Windows on it and switch to Linux are a market Microsoft would care to capture. What would they spend money on?
Anyway if it was intentional good on em. Wasting their time is good payback and I'm saying that as someone who obviously agrees with the above, based on me being a member of this site
Free sometimes comes at a cost.

[steven36]

5 hours ago, Ryrynz said:

I don't think users who won't pay for a machine with Windows on it and switch to Linux are a market Microsoft would care to capture. What would they spend money on?
Anyway if it was intentional good on em. Wasting their time is good payback and I'm saying that as someone who obviously agrees with the above, based on me being a member of this site

Of course they would  some people erase windows everyday  and switch to Linux that's just reality  they even sell some machines  with Linux on them and some PCs without O/S  . If they didn't they would be no need for them too keep updating the  kernel   for the latest hardware . But  the masses are not going to install a new O/S themselves  Be it  Windows are Linux  . Only mostly computer geeks fell secure enough to install a O/S.

 

5 hours ago, Ryrynz said:

Windows can only just keep making the OS the best it can through customer feedback and good ideas,

If you call  a adware campaign were they can earn a profit off  Bing  and harvesting you're data for profit  is this the best they can do because they not been able to sell windows since Windows 7 .We all should go back to XP if they cant do no better  , Microsoft  blames customer feedback as the reason Windows 8 didn't have a start menu . If this is true this tells me that Microsoft should fire the crowd  and make Windows more like Windows 7 then maybe they could sell it.

 

5 hours ago, Ryrynz said:

The thing is though in a couple more months the free upgrades are over. Remember these were for legit purchases of WIndows 7 and 8 licenses. They aren't going to care if their software breaks an already broken OS, it's not their problem.

Its already been 8 months  of free  and hoards of people  are not rushing to install windows 10 because we dont want to fix whats not broken My legit copies of windows 8.1 and Windows 7 still work fine. There's no benefit to update to windows 10 for legit costumers  really . We will simply update  when we decide to buy a new PC  like we been doing forever .  Most PCs  come with a O/S  already . Most people updating to windows 10 are pirates , fans , and some computer geeks . Most people whose going to install it has installed it already because its a free upgrade and there's nothing holding them back like before. The masses are still on windows 7 and other O/S that came in there units  .

 

[pc71520]

      

[LeeSmithG]

An operating system is cheap to buy, retail.

I paid £87 for Windows 7 Pro x64 (received both x64 & x86) disks in retail container.

If a new windows arrives built like Windows 7 and I upgrade, then I will sell the retail container, disks an all and will probably get more than what I paid for it.

I did with Windows 98 S.E., Vista and Millennium.

Why people still pirate this basic thing, is beyond me.

[majstrrrduxx]

1 hour ago, LeeSmithG said:

An operating system is cheap to buy, retail.

I paid £87 for Windows 7 Pro x64 (received both x64 & x86) disks in retail container.

If a new windows arrives built like Windows 7 and I upgrade, then I will sell the retail container, disks an all and will probably get more than what I paid for it.

I did with Windows 98 S.E., Vista and Millennium.

Why people still pirate this basic thing, is beyond me.

 

Because in our country need 10 days to work for 100eur !!

[Holmes]

If your buying the operating system in the pretty box its going to cost three hundred and ninety nine dollars (It did cost that much back in the day now its two hundred and ninety nine dollars I think) oem booklet and disk cost about one hundred and twenty nine alot of users prefer to buy the oem (your paying for the pretty box and colors if you buy the three hundred and ninety nine dollar retail item.  I always buy the oem I didnt buy windows seven sixty four bit I got it free academic version free from my best friend zachs teacher.

[LeeSmithG]

2 hours ago, majstrrrduxx said:

 

Because in our country need 10 days to work for 100eur !!

Then use Linux it's free and open source.

Your standard of living is cheaper than Britain.

I don't think your rent takes you two point three (2.3) weeks to pay.

A trip return on a bus four (4) miles does not cost you seven (£7) pounds.

 

[steven36]

Windows 7 was sort of cheap  but just because you buy it dont  mean its leagl  ether many windows 7 keys  on ebay they sell were from a giveaway for education not for resale , It takes  a whole day to clean install windows 7  because windows updates go slow on it. but i remember  paying $100 for XP  in the early 2000s because someone robed  me and stole all my  CD/DVDs  and i needed to repair windows  and after my vendor  replace my disk free of charge  i sold it .  I got a old XP box over here I never been ever to find no Linux  Distro that runs decent on it I have anti x on it and it runs slow .  Why waste  you're time telling people not to pirate windows?  Millions  do it and  no ones going to listen .. Like  any software that's the developers  job  to stop and Microsoft  has been doing a shitty  job of preventing it  for as long as i can remember .  I seen people pirate software that cost $1  so they sure are not going pay  $40 or $50  for something unless  the Software vendor  makes it uncrackable and they have to have it.

 

But for me I'm buying nothing else  i will wait tell i buy a new PC  and use what ever comes on tell it dies.  Updating from  Vista  to Windows 7 I had  very little trouble  . But  installing Windows 10  on my windows 8 machine  was  nothing but trouble  with drivers  and now AMD  has stopped  making proprietary drivers for newer versions of Linux  distros  its not worth updating ether  on my AMD machine tell  2019   I may have to go with open source drivers  if it runs still by then. My newer windows 8.1 PC  im not going to put windows 10 on it  . Im not fixing whats not broke 

 

[Holmes]

I agree windows seven was cheap windows xp was cheaper.  That makes no sense if you buy windows seven its not legal yea if you buy your windows seven off a truck in a back alley somewhere.  I know mine is legal because windows seven occassionally checks for a genuine license.  If you go to a retail store and you buy windows seven or any operating system for that matter it is legal stores cant sell illegitimate keys.  It takes a whole day to clean windows seven if you dont know what your doing and windows updates are slow depending on the connection and the hard drive used.  If you buy a pirated windows for a dollar you have yourself to blame for that just go online and get it free.  A well known programmer shane (tweaking.com) has a saying:

 

When people ask "Why fix what isn't broken?" I reply "To make it better." "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile"

 

I completely agree with him.

[Ryrynz]

On 5/2/2016 at 0:26 AM, steven36 said:

Of course they would  some people erase windows everyday  and switch to Linux that's just reality  they even sell some machines  with Linux on them and some PCs without O/S  . If they didn't they would be no need for them too keep updating the  kernel   for the latest hardware . But  the masses are not going to install a new O/S themselves  Be it  Windows are Linux  . Only mostly computer geeks fell secure enough to install a O/S.

 

If you call  a adware campaign were they can earn a profit off  Bing  and harvesting you're data for profit  is this the best they can do because they not been able to sell windows since Windows 7 .We all should go back to XP if they cant do no better  , Microsoft  blames customer feedback as the reason Windows 8 didn't have a start menu . If this is true this tells me that Microsoft should fire the crowd  and make Windows more like Windows 7 then maybe they could sell it.

 

Its already been 8 months  of free  and hoards of people  are not rushing to install windows 10 because we dont want to fix whats not broken My legit copies of windows 8.1 and Windows 7 still work fine. There's no benefit to update to windows 10 for legit costumers  really . We will simply update  when we decide to buy a new PC  like we been doing forever .  Most PCs  come with a O/S  already . Most people updating to windows 10 are pirates , fans , and some computer geeks . Most people whose going to install it has installed it already because its a free upgrade and there's nothing holding them back like before. The masses are still on windows 7 and other O/S that came in there units  .

 

 

Most users wouldn't consider Linux at all. People have enough problems with Windows and Android.. most don't even know Linux exists.

Yeah that's the only reason I could see why MS would give a crap. Bing..

Well they're stupid. Because as I said in the previous thread where you chimed in you literally can not sit on the same OS forever. If you like Windows you will be using 10 or some derivative of it in future.
It's working well and there's a major update due soon. The only issue I have with it really is problems I've seen online coming from auto updating, although I have yet to experience any myself.
It's only a matter of time before 7 goes the way of XP and what then? I would recommend people at least run 8.1, that's a good OS that offers much of what 10 does for desktop users, but even that is dead in the water now.
So either you keep up to date.. or you don't. And if you don't, it's only a matter of time until you're forced to. Whether that's 10+ or some other OS.

If your current OS is running fun and does absolutely everything you need then sometimes there's less hassle sticking with it until things have improved enough to warrant upgrading.

But it's free and I can't find any real fault with it, so often times it's just people being ignorant or stubborn.. like upgrading/learning is the hardest thing in the world..
 

[LeeSmithG]

On ‎03‎/‎05‎/‎2016 at 8:27 PM, Holmes said:

I agree windows seven was cheap windows xp was cheaper.  That makes no sense if you buy windows seven its not legal yea if you buy your windows seven off a truck in a back alley somewhere.  I know mine is legal because windows seven occassionally checks for a genuine license.  If you go to a retail store and you buy windows seven or any operating system for that matter it is legal stores cant sell illegitimate keys.  It takes a whole day to clean windows seven if you dont know what your doing and windows updates are slow depending on the connection and the hard drive used.  If you buy a pirated windows for a dollar you have yourself to blame for that just go online and get it free.  A well known programmer shane (tweaking.com) has a saying:

 

When people ask "Why fix what isn't broken?" I reply "To make it better." "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile"

 

I completely agree with him.

 

You must remember a few retail stores in the U.S.A. and the U.K. that were found to be selling pirated Microsoft Windows and Office.

 

So not all retail is genuine.

 

I have been using windows seven (7) since 15th July 2009. So that two thousand five hundred and ninety eight days (2598), I think.

 

Order details (that includes free p&p) 

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional E (PC)

Sold by: Amazon EU S.a.r.L.

£89.97

 

0.0345 pence is how much it has cost me per day to use.

 

That is value.

Piracy supports terrorism, drug trafficking, prostitution and hiking up the cost to genuine users.

 

If us genuine users decided to visit the non-genuine users homes and started, eating their food, stealing their gadgets and clothes, they would call the Police and have us done for theft.

 

Microsoft is a business that gives a lot away cheap, they have to pay their employees and taxes and provide for the future.

Other software and hardware companies would not exist if it wasn't for I.B.M. Microsoft, Apple, Linux et cetera, so lots of jobs would not be created.

There are NO excuse for theft, oops piracy!

[Holmes]

I do remember a store or two that got busted for selling pirated software it doesnt always happen.  I think windows seven in the beginning cost that much at microcenter for the pretty box oem was cheaper.  I got my windows seven at a retail store didnt order it online and amazon you can get items  cheaper then the store.

[steven36]

9 hours ago, LeeSmithG said:

Piracy supports terrorism, drug trafficking, prostitution and hiking up the cost to genuine users.

 

I have too call bullshit when i see it and this is bullshit !  Drugs and prostitution supports itself it never needed any help it makes more money than  piracy ever has .  Most of them terrorist leaders family's  were in the oil business so many of them are rich . You could wipe the internet  and everything to do with piracy off the planet and terrorism, drug trafficking and prostitution would still be very much alive.  Places like the UK  will give someone 10 years in jail for pirating a movie but you go in the shops and steal the movie and only get 6 mths ..That's promoting people to go out in public to commit crimes were people really get hurt. .Hello reality check. needed..

 

Some places some drugs and prostitution is legal  and alcohol is a drug  it was even outlawed in the 1930s in the USA and it caused so much crime they had make it legal again. A lot of crime is caused by man made sin laws . That what people get for believing and making laws based on something they cant prove exist... Most crime comes from the fact it is illegal if things like piracy , drugs and prostitution were legal  then organized crime could not make any money from it ,  Terrorism is a whole different story most of it is based on religion  and twisted doctrine and it exist everywhere in every religion  ,,just like the dumb sin laws are  that should be removed from the law books.

 

 

Here it is 2016 and we are still having live by laws made by a bunch of bible thumpers   it should  not be so in the USA  at least  and it varies from state to state the less religion the less sin laws in place.

[VileTouch]

9 hours ago, LeeSmithG said:

Piracy supports terrorism, drug trafficking, prostitution

serious question... were you drunk or high when you wrote this? because that's the most ridiculous statement I have read in recent times...anywhere!

right up there with "the internet is a series of tubes"

wow, man... just..wow.

[steven36]

7 minutes ago, VileTouch said:

serious question... were you drunk or high when you wrote this?

 

 

 

[Holmes]

No its I swear to drunk Im not god.  I have to agree that statement is false.  The way piracy is like them is there illegal that is all.