Pirated Windows to Remain Unpatched.
From the Associated Press:
Microsoft Corp. plans to severely curtail the ways in which
people running pirated copies of its dominant Windows operating system
can receive software updates, including security fixes.The new authentication system, announced Tuesday and due to arrive
by midyear, will still allow people with pirated copies of Windows to
obtain security fixes, but their options will be limited. The move
allows Microsoft to use one of its sharpest weapons — access to
security patches that can prevent viruses, worms and other crippling
attacks — to thwart a costly and meddlesome piracy problem.
I've written about this before.
Unpatched Windows systems on the Internet are a security risk to
everyone. I understand Microsoft wanting to fight piracy, but reducing
the security of its paying customers is not a good way to go about it. [Schneier on Security]