Microsoft anti-piracy targets Vista 'frankenbuild'

Microsoft has issued an update to Windows Vista that's intended to stop a piracy monster.

The software maker said on Thursday that the update is aimed at thwarting a technique that was letting some people use pirated versions of the operating system without going through the software's built-in product activation. Microsoft has dubbed the approach 'frankenbuild' because it works by combining test versions of Vista with the final code to create a hybrid version.

"Windows Vista will use the new Windows Update client to require only the 'frankenbuild' systems to go through a genuine validation check," Microsoft said on its Windows Genuine Advantage programme blog. "These systems will fail that check because we have blocked the (product) keys for systems not authorised to use them."

Although Vista was only released to businesses last month - and won't hit retail shelves until late January - it has been making the rounds on the internet, and there have been several reported hacks to bypass its built-in security mechanisms.

A second known issue, Microsoft said, involves using virtualisation technology in conjunction with the mechanism Microsoft uses to allow large businesses to activate multiple copies of Vista.

David Lazar, director of Genuine Windows, said: "Piracy is evolving and has made the expected jump from Windows XP to Windows Vista. We are already starting to see some workarounds to the Vista licensing requirements."

While Thursday's update addresses only the 'frankenbuild', Lazar said Microsoft is also working on a method to counteract the other hack, which uses virtualization and Microsoft's Key Management Service.

Ina Fried writes for CNET News.com.