It became known that a Microsoft support employee remotely activated a licensed copy of Windows 10 Pro using a pirated activator. This was done to solve the problem of a client who, for some reason, was unable to activate the operating system using a license key. Curiously, this isn’t the first time that Microsoft support has used workarounds to activate the OS in order to process customer requests faster.
Image Source: Bleeping Computer
South African freelance technologist Wesley Pyburn purchased a licensed copy of Windows 10 Pro for $200. In the process of activating it, he encountered a problem, because the license key for some reason did not fulfill its function. To solve this problem, Pyburn turned to Microsoft technical support, but even there he was not immediately helped.
During one of their calls to tech support, a service engineer remotely connected to Pyburn’s computer using the Quick Assist utility and executed several commands in PowerShell, which allowed them to run a pirated activator to bypass the Windows activation process. After that, the OS really stopped requiring activation, but the client was very surprised by the approach of Microsoft technical support to solving his issue. “Indeed, it’s easier to hack Windows than to buy it,” Pyburn wrote on his Twitter page.
Image Source: Twitter
During the Windows activation process, a Microsoft employee made a connection to an unofficial repository of Windows and Office activation scripts called massgrave.dev. Pyburn later contacted the representatives of this resource, and they confirmed that the technical support engineer used an unlicensed activator. Moreover, there he was informed that this was at least the second such case.
Image Source: Twitter
It looks like the employee who used the pirated activator is going to be punished. This is because Microsoft is investigating this incident. “We strive to provide best-in-class support for our customers. The technique you describe is against our policy. We are investigating this incident and will take appropriate action to ensure that proper procedures are followed in relation to customer support for our products and services,” Microsoft said in a statement.
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