Windows key leak threatens mass piracy

A volume licensing key of Microsoft Windows
Server 2003 has been leaked to the internet enabling users to use a pirated
version of the new Operating System of Microsoft. A volume licensing
key is issued to large companies to make it easier for them to install new
Operating Systems without having to enter a key code on every computer in the
company. It's not clear what company/person has leaked the key, but
Microsoft has announced it will block users using the code to do a future
upgrade using Windows Update. 

The leaked code appears to be from a Microsoft corporate customer that subscribes to one of the company's volume-licensing programs, the representative said. Rumors circulating on enthusiast Web sites, such as Neowin and Winbeta, identified the leak as a 3-in-1 code, meaning that it would work with three different versions of Windows Server 2003.

The Microsoft representative made clear that
the company will scour the Internet looking for the leaked code. "Our
legal department works aggressively on that kind of thing," the
representative said. Stolen codes are often traded with the software,
typically on Web sites, newsgroups or Internet Relay Chat
(IRC).

For Microsoft it is hard to fight piracy as the company
makes widely used software and has a lot of people who are eager to crack the
software. More information can be found in this article on
News.com

Source: News.com