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> If those behind the ransomware attack profited from the hacking, they may have figured out how to do something that has been beyond Microsoft: making money fr
by pcr0 9y ago
> If those behind the ransomware attack profited from the hacking, they may have figured out how to do something that has been beyond Microsoft: making money from Windows in China.
Pure gold
- sillysaurus3 9y agoSort of? Microsoft makes a lot of money from Windows in China. The value is the fact that they use Windows, not that they paid for it. It's a zinger though, I guess.
- kccqzy 9y agoBut I imagine Microsoft makes most of the money selling preinstalled versions of Windows that come with new computers, instead of direct sale to users. So I suppose Microsoft does in fact make quite a bit of money from Windows in China.
- ams6110 9y agoI think the assumption is that many/most of the computers in China that are sold with Windows preinstalled are using bootleg versions
- bbatha 9y agoYou're assuming that OEMs in China sell systems with licensed windows on them. I'd wager most people don't know they're running pirated software.
- analog31 9y agoIronically, Microsoft benefits in another way, which is that the pirate software prevents anybody else from developing a viable commercial alternative. This reminds me of a story. In the mid 90s, a friend of mine was shopping for a computer. Being an Apple fanboy at the time, I recommended a Mac. He said: "Mac won't run AutoCad." I said: "You can't afford AutoCad." He just laughed. Pirate software drove his choice of platform.
- 21 9y ago> 2007: Jeff Raikes, head of the company's (Microsoft) business group, said at a recent investor conference that while the company is against piracy, if you are going to pirate software, it hopes you pirate Microsoft software.
- hkmurakami 9y agoiirc there were reports that even govt agencies in China are running pirated copies of Windows.
- pcr0 9y agoBuying from well-known OEMs is rare in China. Many laptops, desktops and tablets are domestically made, even OEMs in China preload computers with pirated Windows. If it was from a well-known OEM, it would be the Linux/freeDOS version, and the retail store would help install a pirated copy of Windows for you.
- shp0ngle 9y agoThe amount of money the ransomware authors got is shockingly low. They have about 150 transactions on their accounts, totally tens of thousands of dollars at max.
- aswanson 9y agoThey've caused billions in damage though,and possibly death.
- civilian 9y agoIDK. From a certain point of view, you could view them as doing a service. What if a different kind of criminal had used these exploits? Not one that wanted $300 in bitcoin, but one that actually wanted to cause harm? They could have deleted files and never given them back, and they could have stopped any software running on the machines.
- celticninja 9y agoWell it looks like this malware doesn't unlock even after payment so they kind of have deleted the data.
- pcr0 9y agoSource?
- shp0ngle 9y agoYeah, and all for few thousands. That still hasn't moved out from the wallets.
- 21 9y agoI'm very curious it the attackers will dare to move that bitcoin given that now it's watched by half the planet. If I would be LE I would spam tumblers with my own bitcoin, just to reduce the number of further leads.
- randyrand 9y agoI wonder what the legality is of microsoft writing a worm to disable windows installs until they pay. They of course already have this feature, but it is not a worm.
- chii 9y agomicrosoft has to operate under some form of law, and most countries have computer fraud laws (especially in the US, where it's a federal law). Writing a program to exploit someone else's machine for your own financial gain is certainly computer fraud, so they would be prosecuted for it.
- pcr0 9y agoHow would this be different from say, a pirated copy of MS Office/Adobe PS that detects it has been pirated and stops working?
- blackflame7000 9y agoPirates have no rights whereas paying customers do.
- matthewbauer 9y agoIt's also bad publicity for them. I suspect many companies will look into Linux/Mac in certain cases.