The Twitter user with the handle @TCNOco was unable to activate his Windows with his license key from the Microsoft Store. After the first attempts at help from Microsoft support failed, the case escalated to other support levels. During a remote maintenance session using Quick Assist, official Microsoft support finally used a crack to activate Windows 10.
Screenshots show how support apparently downloads a script using Powershell commands. It is a script that provides multiple activation methods, such as online key management services (Online KMS). Such are used to activate volume licenses in very large organizations, but cybercriminals use them in illegal license offers to unlock Windows or Microsoft Office. However, the script only seems to unlock 180-day versions, but can then be reused according to the instructions. These are cracks.
The Internet is full of hot IT news and stale Pr0n. In between there are always gems that are too good for /dev/null.
Script Creator: Not the first report of usage by support
TCNOco contacted the operators of the massgrave.dev site via discord and asked whether the script offered there was officially from Microsoft. The clear answer: It is neither official nor legal. “This is the second time someone here has reported that a Microsoft support professional has used it,” writes the developer, nicknamed WindowsAddict.
The script is available as a password-protected download that can be used locally or can be started directly from the GitHub project using a Powershell command. The Microsoft supporters used the latter variant in this and apparently at least one other case.
Solution-oriented approach
As bizarre as this may seem at first, it is certainly not the official requirement from Microsoft to use this script in the event of problems. However, support agents are typically solution-oriented, and before they can help a customer, they may use the crowbar method. At least (so far) it doesn’t seem to bring any pests piggyback.
But that certainly leaves the customer with a bad feeling. Windows, which was officially purchased for several hundred euros, does not run smoothly out of the box, but ends up being an (officially) cracked version.
(dmk)
