October 30, 2001

Hackers in Hong Kong are routinely breaking Microsoft's digital media copyright protection system and helping themselves to broadband encrypted content, including games, films and music videos, according to a report in the South China Morning Post today.

The content is hosted on now.com.hk, which belongs to major Asian broadcaster Network of the World, and is protected by Microsoft's digital rights management software, DRM 2. The hackers are using FreeMe, a DRM 2 cracker developed by pseudonymous programmer "Beale Screamer" and recently distributed across the Web following exposure on the U.S. security site Cryptome.org.

FreeMe first appeared earlier this month, and this is believed to be the first time it has been put into wide use... [Read on]

Monday 29th October

Despite Microsoft's promise to tighten up the controversial Product Activation system, a tool lets pirates bypass it and burn copies of Windows XP

Copyright protection software specialist BitArts Labs claims to have discovered code that completely removes the registration process from Microsoft's Windows XP operating system, launched last Thursday, leaving users free to burn pirate copies.

John Safa, founder and chief technology officer of UK-based BitArts, said his company has discovered a 4KB crack file on Warez sites in the Far East, and the Morpheus file-sharing network, which enables a user to completely bypass Microsoft's controversial licence activation and registration process, Product Activation...[Read on]

A Nottingham-based security company claims Chinese crackers had disabled Windows XP's anti-piracy system within a few hours of the product's launch.

http://www.vnunet.com/News/1126503