Microsoft posts steps to change XP keys
eWeek | at | by Mike
An interesting turnabout took place over last weekend when Microsoft posted on its Product Support Services Web site a detailed knowledge base article that provides step-by-step instructions on how to change volume-licensed product keys for Windows XP. But the move, which started as a customer service to help users legitimately change keys, could actually serve as a blueprint of sorts for hackers to access XP keys, some said.
Unlike consumer customers, Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., provides XP to volume-licensed customers with keys that unlock re-quested applications and validate their installations. But shortly after XP's release last fall, hackers seized on a method of accessing such keys to open their pirated versions of the operating system. The company moved to stave off those pirates with an update, Service Pack 1, that swapped compromised keys for more secure keys, and validated installations.