Windows Genuine Advantage

Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is an anti-infringement

system created by Microsoft that enforces online validation of the Windows Genuine
licensing of several Microsoft Windows operating systems when Advantage
accessing several services, such as Windows Update, and
downloading Windows components from the Microsoft Download
Center. WGA consists of two components: an installable component
called WGA Notifications that hooks into Winlogon and validates the
Windows license upon each logon and an ActiveX control that
Developer(s) Microsoft
checks the validity of the Windows license when downloading
certain updates from the Microsoft Download Center or Windows Stable release 1.9.42.0 /
Update. WGA Notifications covers Windows XP and later, with the June 26, 2009
exception of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional
Operating system Windows XP to
x64 Edition. The ActiveX control checks Windows 2000
Windows 7
Professional licenses as well.[1]
Platform IA-32, x86-64
In Windows 7, WGA is renamed Windows Activation Type Copy
Technologies.[2]
protection,
Despite its name it does not actually evaluate the integrity or digital rights
security of any computer.[3] management
License Proprietary
(same as
Contents Windows)
Website www.microsoft
Features
.com/genuine/
Software (http://www.mic
WGA Validation Tool rosoft.com/gen
WGA Notifications uine/)
WGA Validation Library
Circumvention
Notifications and firewalls
Data collected
WGA in China
Criticisms
Time bomb
Spyware accusations
False positive rate
False negatives
Major failures in WGA system
See also
References
External links
Features
The WGA validation process validates the present
installation of Windows and its license key against
the detected computer hardware and determines if
the software was licensed from Microsoft. It is
accessible by either a stand-alone program, a Windows Genuine Advantage Notification in
Netscape-compatible web browser plug-in, or as an Windows XP
ActiveX control within Internet Explorer, the latter
of which is relevant to any attempt to access
Microsoft updates via its browser. It includes the following steps:

Upon their first visit to Windows Update or certain updates on the Microsoft Download Center,
users receive a message requiring them to validate their copy of Windows by downloading an
ActiveX control which checks the authenticity of their Windows software. If successful in
validating Windows, it stores a license file on the PC for future verification.
After successful validation, the regular update download can continue.
If the software decides the instance of Windows does not have a valid license, WGA displays a
specific notice to the user and prevents non-critical updates from being downloaded from
Microsoft. This includes changing the wallpaper to black and displaying a watermark in the
bottom-right of the screen.

The ActiveX control is downloaded on the first validation and when a new version is available, but the
validation itself can be performed any time the user connects to a Microsoft Website to update.

On Windows Vista without service packs, WGA validation failure has a greater impact. In addition to
persistent notification and the disabling of non-critical updates, WGA also disables Windows Aero,
Windows Defender and Windows ReadyBoost. The user is given a grace period in which to then pass
validation, after which most of the operating system is disabled and Windows reverts to reduced
functionality mode. This behavior however has been removed in Service Pack 1 of Windows Vista in favor
of prominent notices on systems believed unlicensed.

Software

WGA Validation Tool

When a user installs Windows Genuine Advantage, an Internet Explorer

add-on is installed labeled "Windows Genuine Advantage". In early
releases the tool could be readily disabled with the IE Add-on
Management feature. A Windows Group Policy was added by later
updates, causing this option to be unavailable by default, but still
accessible if the policy were removed. As of July 2006, the latest
update blocks management by other means.

The program uses either a stand-alone program to generate a key or an

ActiveX control to discover whether the license key is valid; either way A successful activation on
an Internet connection is required. On Windows XP, if WGA Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
determines that a user's copy of Windows is unauthorized but was (same dialog will show on
installed from seemingly legitimate media (i.e., the CD/DVD and Windows Vista and Windows 7)
holographic emblem present on real copies of Windows seems
genuine), then Microsoft will supply the user with a new CD/DVD. However, newer versions of Windows
will still require the user to purchase a new copy. Microsoft also offers discounts to people who want to
purchase a legitimate copy of Windows but do not have a valid CD. Microsoft has indicated that they will
continue to deliver critical security updates through their Automatic Updates service as well as via the
Microsoft Download Center, so that all systems, including those that fail to pass validation, will still
continue to receive critical security updates.

The company has made installation of Windows Genuine Advantage a requirement for use of the Windows
Update and Microsoft Update websites, in part to be sure that customers who use support resources of the
company are aware when their software is unlicensed. According to Microsoft themselves, it is legal to run
Microsoft Windows without Windows Genuine Advantage. However, since non-critical Windows updates
are not presented by Automatic Updates, installation of WGA is required for installation of such non-critical
updates, which are only available through Windows Update or the Microsoft Download Center.

WGA Notifications

On April 25, 2006, Microsoft began distributing Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications[4] as "critical
update" KB905474 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905474) to Windows users. For Windows 7,
KB971033 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971033) has the same function.[5] Back in 2006, users with
copies the WGA believed to be unlicensed were exposed to alerts[6] at startup, login, and during use of the
Windows OS, stating that they do not have a genuine copy of Windows. Users with legitimate copies are not
supposed to see the alerts (although some do anyway[7]). On May 23, 2006, Microsoft updated the program,
closing some forms of circumvention, but reportedly not all.[8] It was updated again on May 30, June 6 and
June 27, 2006, though some forms of circumvention are still usable. The latest versions do not roll out
worldwide at the same time: the dates given are the earliest dates on which the versions appeared, so the
actual version being offered in some places will be an earlier version than the latest release. It is still
possible to opt out of receiving this update using the "do not show" option at the Windows Update site
(Windows XP), and the "Hide" option in the right-click menu of Windows Update in Control Panel
(Windows Vista/7/8). In addition to these notifications, Windows Genuine Advantage will also notify users
with the message "This version of Windows XP is no longer secure" if users on an XP Operating System are
not using Service Pack 3, and it will provide a link to help users to update their systems to the new service
pack.

The version of Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications released November 29, 2006, had a changed
install process to inform the user of what the program does, and can also be set to automatically update to
newer versions of Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications. It also informs users that may have a non-
genuine version of Windows why their Windows version isn't being reported as genuine. However, unlike
previous releases, it started being only automatically delivered to Windows machines using four widely
distributed product keys.[9]

The latest update (version 1.9.0040.0) was released on March 24, 2009.

WGA Validation Library

Microsoft includes the Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Library in several products, such as
Windows validation tool or Windows Media Player 11, to check the validation about all Windows software.
As of version 7, Internet Explorer no longer requires the user to pass a Windows Genuine Advantage test in
order to download or install the software.
The WGA Validation Library is also included in the Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 and validate the
Windows installation whether it is legitimate or not. The program will stop working after 30 days once it
failed the validation process.

The information is then used in the WGA Library to check for overuse of license keys.

Circumvention
In September 2005, Microsoft filed lawsuits against a number of companies that sold unauthorized copies of
software based on information from users who were told they have copyright infringing software by the
Windows Genuine Advantage application.[10]

On May 4, 2006, Microsoft announced lawsuits for allegedly distributing unauthorized copies of Windows
against eDirectSoftware of Montana, and Chicago-area resellers Nathan Ballog and Easy Computers.[11]

Notifications and firewalls

Some personal firewalls, though not one embedded in Windows, may alert on the method by which
wgatray.exe is started; in the case of Outpost firewall, it is identified as a "hidden process". The wgatray.exe
process itself can be firewall blocked, without apparent problems.

A tool has been released by a firewall vendor to prevent WGA Notifications transmitting information from
one's PC.[12]

Data collected
Through Windows Genuine Advantage, Microsoft collects the following data:[13][14]

Computer make and model

BIOS checksum, make, version, and date
MAC address
Globally unique identifier (GUID), a number WGA assigns to the Windows installation
Hard disk drive serial number
Windows version, product ID (PID), and localization
Windows or Microsoft Office registration key
WGA validation and installation results

WGA in China
On October 20, 2008, many users of Windows XP in China received a black desktop, as Microsoft
introduced its WGA system for Chinese language systems[15][16][17] in an effort to combat copyright
violation, which is extremely common in China. Since the majority of users in China run an unlicensed copy
of Windows, many users have experienced what is described as a "black screen syndrome", where the
operating system changes the desktop background to a black screen, as well as displays constant warning
messages.[18][19] Some users have even reported the disabling of Office programs such as Microsoft Word,
PowerPoint and Outlook.[20]
According to various polls carried out by Chinese portals such as
Sohu.com, QQ.com, 21cn.com, and many others, a large number
(over 60% of those surveyed) of Chinese Internet users are hostile to
Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) and Office Genuine
Advantage (OGA).[21]

Criticisms
An example of a Simplified Chinese
WGA notice.
Time bomb

Even if WGA does not really make the program unusable, no updates except critical ones can be
downloaded from Microsoft. Rather than just disallowing updating, Windows Vista originally ran in
reduced-functionality mode if found by WGA to be compromised,[22][23] which has made some people
compare WGA to time bomb software.[24][25][26] Windows Vista SP2 has removed this behavior and
reverted to the nag-only methods of Windows XP.[27]

Spyware accusations

The notification tool has been accused of spyware-like behavior, "phoning home" on a daily basis.[28][29][30]
Microsoft subsequently admitted the behaviour, but denied that it amounted to spyware.[31][32] Following
pressure, Microsoft announced that in future the tool would only phone home once every two weeks, instead
of every day.[33] Microsoft has also provided removal instructions for the pilot version of WGA.[34]

Despite this, Microsoft was sued under anti-spyware statutes over WGA's non-disclosed "phone home"
behaviour.[35] The lawsuit has since been dismissed.[36]

False positive rate

The WGA program can produce false positives (incorrectly identifying a genuine copy of Windows as "not
genuine"). This can happen for any number of reasons such as failed updates, etc. Microsoft has established
a forum to help users encountering problems.[37] In February 2007, a "Not Sure" section was added to the
program, in case of an incorrect reading.[38]

According to an Ars Technica editorial, WGA reported around 22% of 500 million Windows computers as
failing the test; of these less than 0.5% were due to unauthorized software, with the balance (over 20%, or
90% of all positives) related to edge cases. Microsoft "refused to comment on the rate of pure false
positives" beyond saying it was "under 1%" (or as stated, at most around 5 million users affected).[39]

False negatives

On June 18, 2007, news surfaced that it is possible to positively validate as a "Genuine Microsoft Product"
user (and as a result be able to download certain software from Microsoft's official website) using Internet
Explorer with IEs4Linux and Wine, running on Linux,[3] without even having a Windows-family system
installed.

Major failures in WGA system

On October 5, 2006, a WGA failure occurred, incorrectly flagging some systems as being non-genuine.[40]

On August 25, 2007, the Microsoft WGA servers suffered an outage, resulting in many legitimate copies of
Windows XP and Vista being marked as counterfeit.[41] The issue was solved about 12 hours later.
According to Microsoft, "fewer than 12,000 systems were affected worldwide."[42]

On July 18, 2008, reports of Microsoft's WGA and OGA servers being offline surfaced again. Microsoft
later responded that only offline verification was temporarily down.[43]

See also
Office Genuine Advantage
Windows Product Activation
Digital rights management

References
1. "The Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation check process does not complete when
you try to validate your copy of Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows 2000 Professional"
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905226). Microsoft. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
2. WGA dubbed Windows Activation Technologies with Windows 7 (https://arstechnica.com/micro
soft/news/2009/05/for-windows-7-microsoft-renames-wga-to-wat.ars)
3. "Ubuntu Linux Validates As Genuine Windows" (https://linux.slashdot.org/story/07/06/18/00372
23/ubuntu-linux-validates-as-genuine-windows). Slashdot. 2007-06-18.
4. Microsoft.com – Description of the Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications application (htt
p://support.microsoft.com/kb/905474/), retrieved June 13, 2006
5. Description of the update for Windows Activation Technologies (http://support.microsoft.com/k
b/971033)
6. Digital Inspiration – Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications (http://labnol.blogspot.com/200
6/04/wga-notifications-this-copy-of-windows.html), retrieved June 13, 2006
7. Announcement on usenet entitled "Windows Genuine Advantage – warning appears on
activated machine" by Rubert Sland
8. Sydney Morning Herald – Microsoft back to drawing board on piracy (http://www.smh.com.au/n
ews/breaking/microsoft-back-to-drawing-board-on-piracy/2005/08/08/1123353252441.html?on
eclick=true), retrieved June 13, 2006
9. MSDN Blogs – New Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications Released (http://blogs.msdn.c
om/wga/archive/2006/11/29/new-wga-notifications-released.aspx), retrieved December 3,
2006
10. "Microsoft Files Lawsuits to Protect Consumers and Software Resellers" (https://archive.is/lsg
p) (Press release). Archived from the original (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/
sep05/09-19PiracyEnfSept05PR.mspx) on September 10, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2006.
11. InformationWeek – Microsoft: Users may have to prove legal Windows use (http://www.informa
tionweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=187200796), retrieved June 13, 2006
12. The Register – How to stop Microsoft's WGA phoning home (https://www.theregister.co.uk/200
6/06/22/wga_remove/)
13. What data is collected? -Microsoft (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/genuine/priva
cy-statement), retrieved May 2012
14. Microsoft's Calling Home Problem: It's a Matter of Informed Consent (http://www.groklaw.net/ar
ticle.php?story=20060608002958907), retrieved October 20
15. 微软发出“黑色提醒” (http://wzdsb.66wz.com/system/2008/10/19/100853032.shtml)
16. 微软开始打击盗版 桌面背景变为黑色 (http://tech.163.com/08/1015/19/4OANN9V8000915BD.h
tml)
17. Microsoft Peeves Chinese With Anti-Piracy Tactics – Wired.com (http://blog.wired.com/busines
s/2008/10/microsoft-peeve.html)
18. 对网上盛传的《微软详解Vista SP1封杀盗版激活》三点质疑 (http://hi.baidu.com/guoguo6688/b
log/item/fcc44fc6f05d541f9d163d86.html)
19. 盗版的噩梦？Vista SP1新的反盗版技术 (http://www.cbifamily.com/software/softsystem/2008-02
-25/1203920558d1083.html)
20. 微软开始打击盗版 桌面背景变为黑色 (http://it.icxo.com/htmlnews/2008/10/16/1310099.htm)
21. Panicking users rail against Microsoft anti-piracy crackdown (http://www.china.org.cn/china/nati
onal/2008-10/17/content_16630207.htm)
22. ZDNet | Technology News, Analysis, Comments and Product Reviews for IT Professionals (htt
p://content.zdnet.com/2346-12554_22-56027-3.html)
23. The Ed Bott Report | Page 221 | ZDNet (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=221)
24. Dvorak, John C. (October 16, 2006). "Onerous Vista Activation—A Time Bomb?" (https://www.
pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2031647,00.asp). PC Magazine.
25. "Windows Genuine Advantage: A Ticking Time Bomb?" (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,
222518,00.html). Fox News. October 19, 2006.
26. » Is Microsoft about to release a Windows “kill switch”? | Ed Bott’s Microsoft Report |
ZDNet.com (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=84)
27. "New WGA Behavior in Windows Vista Service Pack 1" (http://www.winsupersite.com/showcas
e/winvista_sp1_wga.asp). Retrieved 2008-01-01.
28. Lauren Weinstein's Blog – Windows XP update may be classified as 'spyware' (http://lauren.vo
rtex.com/archive/000178.html), retrieved June 13, 2006
29. Microsoft's antipiracy tool "phones home" daily (http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-608128
6.html?tag=nl.e589), retrieved June 13, 2006 Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20060616
113506/http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6081286.html?tag=nl.e589) June 16, 2006, at
the Wayback Machine
30. Brian Livingston (June 15, 2006). "Windows Secrets – Genuine Advantage is Microsoft
spyware" (http://www.windowssecrets.com/comp/060615/#story1). Newsletter. Windows
Secrets. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
31. Ars Technica – Microsoft admits Windows Genuine Advantage phones home (https://arstechni
ca.com/news.ars/post/20060608-7017.html), retrieved June 13, 2006
32. Lauren Weinstein's Blog – Microsoft responds regarding Windows XP gr update vs Spyware (h
ttp://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000179.html), retrieved June 13, 2006
33. ZDNet – Microsoft to ease up on piracy check-ins (http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6082
334.html), retrieved June 13, 2006 Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20060615205034/htt
p://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6082334.html) June 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
34. "How to disable or uninstall the pilot version of Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage
Notifications" (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/921914). Microsoft. July 12, 2006.
35. Lawsuit calls Microsoft's anti-piracy tool spyware | Seattle Post-Intelligencer (http://www.seattle
pi.com/business/275780_msftsuit29.html), retrieved June 29, 2006
36. Microsoft wins windows xp wga lawsuit | Ars Technica (https://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/
2010/02/microsoft-wins-windows-xp-wga-lawsuit.ars), retrieved August 4, 2010
37. Microsoft WGA Help Forum (http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID
=442&SiteID=25)
38. Ars Technica: Windows Genuine Advantage's newest setting: "You might be a pirate" (https://a
rstechnica.com/old/content/2007/02/8922.ars), retrieved June 6, 2009.
39. Fisher, Ken (January 24, 2007). "Windows Genuine Advantage falsely accuses millions" (http
s://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2007/01/8690/). Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved
October 31, 2017.
40. WGA failure on October 5th, 2006 (http://blogs.msdn.com/wga/archive/2006/10/05/WGA-servic
e-outage.aspx)
41. Microsoft WGA Help Forum citing response from MS Support (http://forums.microsoft.com/Gen
uine/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2053834&SiteID=25)
42. Update on Validation Issues (http://blogs.msdn.com/wga/archive/2007/08/27/update-on-validati
on-issues.aspx)
43. Users reporting failed Windows and Office validations or.. (Updated) (https://arstechnica.com/n
ews.ars/post/20080718-microsofts-wga-and-oga-servers-are-down-again.html)

External links
Official website (http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/)
Description of the Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications Application (http://support.micros
oft.com/?kbid=905474)
What is Windows Genuine Advantage (http://www.techsurface.com/2008/10/what-is-wga-and-
oga.html)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Windows_Genuine_Advantage&oldid=937412286"

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