Russians Are Searching For Pirated Microsoft Products and Switching To Linux (yahoo.com) 52
Nkwe writes: Russians are searching for pirated Microsoft software online after the US tech giant halted sales in the country over its invasion of Ukraine, the Kommersant newspaper reported earlier this week. Russia-based web searches for pirated Microsoft software have surged by as much as 250% after the company suspended new sales on March 4, according to Kommersant. In June so far, there's been a 650% surge in searches for Excel downloads, the media outlet added. Microsoft said earlier this month it's significantly scaling down business in Russia, joining a long list of companies winding down businesses in the country amid sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine. The move hits Russia hard because the country relies on foreign software to power many of its manufacturing and engineering tech systems, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. Russian government agencies, too, are switching from Microsoft's Windows to the Linux operating system, the Moscow Times reported last Friday. Developers of Russian systems based on the Linux open source operating system are also seeing more demand, Kommersant reported. Not all sectors are able to swap out their systems easily.
In Soviet Russia... (Score:5, Funny)
Fuck Russia. I've got Windows Genuine Advantage! (Score:3, Funny)
Thank God I don't live in a third world shithole like Russia. Here, I get to enjoy Windows Genuine Advantage and watch all the best movies Amazon Prime has to offer while "working from home" due to pandemic/global warming/gas prices/etc.
Oh, and let's not forget Bill Gates' delicious Beyond Meat burgers. Really hits the spot after a nice toke of cannabis (highly illegal in Russia [nypost.com], apparently).
Re: (Score:2)
Funny how people still use an outdated term like "3rd" world for the country that was literally the "2nd" world back when such term mattered. Or do you now consider China the "2nd"?
Re: (Score:2)
In Soviet Russia Linux Desktops YOU!
Re: (Score:2)
The Year of Putix
Seems like a great deal (Score:1)
So if a company if Russia goers all in in pirated software - really easy to do, and you can even install windows server for a domain and just never activate - can or will microsoft do anything about it?
Re: Seems like a great deal (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't know how much they could do, but they won't do shit until Russia's invited back into the global economy. MS doesn't want to lose market share just because their customers can't pay them.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Windows 10? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
For large organisations, why not take the next step and create a hacked Microsoft license server for your network. Then most products will simply retrieve a license and work normally. If you're not worried about being audited by Microsoft, or expect the courts to throw out any cases that Microsoft raises, it's a relatively simple step.
Re: (Score:2)
Russia has a long tradition of "pirating" software. I remember a time where the best "crackz/serialz/warez" came from Russia, even dongle defeats for expensive American software like stuff used by movie industries, etc.
Long story short, windows activation was defeated quickly after it was first introduced, they have a myriad of ways, from using their own local server to removing the thing altogether, or just using corporate license with a self generated serial. Like some say, the pirate product is better th
Western journalists are funny (Score:4, Informative)
Russia has been pirating software for as long as I remember. Most people in Russia (not including large businesses where there's a risk of legal problems) have been using pirated Windows, Microsoft Office and a ton of other applications ever since PCs first appeared in the country for one single reason: Russia has always lagged far behind Western countries in terms of wages.
The cost of one license for Microsoft Office is roughly one-third of the average Russian salary.
As for downloading software, tons of Russians have been using VPN non stop since the war began because Instagram/Facebook and Twitter are all blocked in the country.
Re: (Score:3)
I applaud their cost-cutting. I can't even imagine how many trojan horses must be in there.
Re: Western journalists are funny (Score:2)
Indeed. How much do you want to bet that the CIA or even Ukrainian intelligence is going to create a shadow release group in the warez scene that releases only Russian language software, with some special activation sauce added?
Re: (Score:2)
I would trust the official release either, why wouldn't the CIA have a little chat with Microsoft and get them to do the same. In fact its probably harder people will automatically suspect warez where they could trust Microsoft more.
Re: (Score:2)
Not just Microsoft, I'm talking ALL software. Maybe the secret sauce just sneaks in an unofficial source for software updates, or maybe not sneak it at all, maybe advertise it as a feature to be able to get updates since they can't get them from the official sources, and do legit updates, but for the right target also slip a firmware update or two in there.
Re: (Score:2)
I would trust the official release either, why wouldn't the CIA have a little chat with Microsoft and get them to do the same. In fact its probably harder people will automatically suspect warez where they could trust Microsoft more.
If you look at the right place in Google Maps near Washington DC you will learn that a certain CIA annex and a major Microsoft building are not very far from each other.
So, getting together for a chat might be about as much work as walking across a few parking lots?
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Western journalists are funny (Score:5)
The cost of one license for Microsoft Office is roughly one-third of the average Russian salary.
That hadn't been true in a while. Microsoft Office Home was 5000 RUR before the war, with the average salary of 50000 RUR. Subscription was around 250 RUR per month. Most computers were sold with "free" OEM Windows, just as in the US.
Re: (Score:2)
Looks like it really did need... (Score:2)
... a full-on war to seriously endanger Microsoft's dominance in a significant part of this world. Too bad it's being fought against Ukraine instead of Redmond, though.
Re: (Score:2)
Unfortunately they not just pirate proprietary software, they also disrespect and openly infringe the GPL [bitcointalk.org].
War (Score:4, Funny)
huh, what good is it for?
Apparently increasing the userbase of Linux.
Re: (Score:1)
If they start running trojanned Office, it will only increase botnet base.
Re: (Score:2)
Good hacking opportunity (Score:2)
Re: Good hacking opportunity (Score:2)
....surely Windows has that as a core functionality ?
Re:Good hacking opportunity (Score:4, Interesting)
Actually, Moscow looks down pretty harshly on that type of activity. Most Russian-sourced malware checks what keyboard is active on a system before doing anything else. If the system keyboard is Russian, then the malware doesn't do anything and simply exits. As long as Russians are being excluded from malware deployments, even if some of the machines in the country receive the malware but nothing bad happens, then Moscow looks the other way. But start infecting Russian computer systems in a way that causes harm and the perpetrator(s) very quickly "disappear" for a long time.
Re: (Score:2)
Actually, Moscow looks down pretty harshly on that type of activity. Most Russian-sourced malware checks what keyboard is active on a system before doing anything else. If the system keyboard is Russian, then the malware doesn't do anything and simply exits. As long as Russians are being excluded from malware deployments, even if some of the machines in the country receive the malware but nothing bad happens, then Moscow looks the other way. But start infecting Russian computer systems in a way that causes harm and the perpetrator(s) very quickly "disappear" for a long time.
Whose talking about Russian malware? There are other state agency that have the ability to deploy malware; even perhaps disguise it as coming from Russian hackers. This could, if previous legitimate users look for pirated software, be a good way to gain entry ino systems of interest.
Pitty (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
I thought this was supposed to be punitive.
They already have to use windows and excel. How much more miserable do you want them to be?
Re: (Score:2)
Odds of getting a few 'extras'? (Score:2)
I assume that the smarter ones, and the ones pirating software with weak to nonexistent activation enforcement, will be comparatively safe; but anyone with less experience in piracy, or who needs cracked copies that are going to differ from legitimate media whether it's just to stub out t
Re: (Score:2)
Oh, I'm sure that the pirate sites that still allow access to Russian IP addresses have a little extra gift from the NSA or the CIA implanted in their pirated Windows and Office downloads.
I'm sure that the smarter IT folks will check the MD5 hashes of the downloads before opening them, but dummies will get hacked and spied on. Enjoy your pirated copies of Windoze11-x64-MSbackdoorremoved.iso, suckers!
Re: (Score:2)
Verifying that hashes and signatures match expected values is comparatively trivial, so if what you want is unmodified vendor binaries knowing whether or not what you've downloaded is what you want is easy.
If what you want is vendor binaries with the DRM tampered with detecting some hash mismatches and broken signatures or unsigned files in strategic places is to be expected; leaving yo
Re:Odds of getting a few 'extras'? (Score:4)
Re: (Score:2)
What an American intelligence opportunity (Score:3, Insightful)
What a great opportunity for American intelligence to spy on the Russians. Shouldn't be too hard to plant some spyware in pirated versions of Windows
I'm sure even right now some low paid IT person is installing some pirated Microsoft software on their bosses computer in Russia. If that boss has anything to do with government or major industries, there's our in.
Re: (Score:2)
This. The NSA should be working with Microsoft now to create deeply rootkitted versions of Windows that will be pushed out on pirate sites.
That is, if the NSA hasn't already done this.
It's about time the NSA got back to spying on the US's enemies, and not the US's citizens.
Re:What an American intelligence opportunity (Score:5, Funny)
They've already done this, they call it "Windows 11".
In Soviet Russia (Score:1)
Microsoft pirates YOU!
LK
What has happened with stolen software before (Score:3)
Living under a rock much? (Score:2)
Piracy is as old as software particularly outside range of US IP law.
Why would anyone not forced to pay for Microsoft products? Not a troll but a legit question.
Most people are practical and unencumbered by caring about BigCorp revenue unless they work for one. This attidude was profitably encouraged by making Office so easy to copy which had the immensely profitable effect of market chumming that to this day discourages adoption of FOSS for Windows.
Ukrainian and other anti-NeoSoviet entities should weaponi
Russian hiring manager .. (Score:2)
damm! (Score:1)