TexNAss
October 17th, 2004, 09:38
A bit of inside info... Remour control has it that the magic code is generated by your mac address which is lifted from your NIC....
If this is correct (and I am not saying it is; because i haven't peeked, only heard) then I'd guess thats what happened.. And in some ways it makes sence...
If i was 'attain' your HDD, the only thing between your data with encrypted file system and me would be your logon password..
Even if we had the same CPU, motherboard, our NIC's mac address would be different.. So it makes sense...
**Greetz to all the ole school lads who are lurking around**
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http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1='20010044782'.PGNR.&OS=DN%2F20010044782&RS=DN%2F20010044782
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[0015] In one aspect, the system includes a software product resident on a computer, the software product having an associated product ID. The software product generates a hardware ID that identifies the set of hardware components on the computer. In one embodiment, a 64-bit hardware ID that identifies a set of ten hardware components within the computer is derived. The 64 bit hardware ID represents ten different components of the user's computer: the CD-ROM device, the disk adapter, the disk device, the display adapter, the first drive serial number, the MAC address, the processor serial number, the processor type, the RAM size in Mb, and the SCSI adapter. Each time the software product is opened, the expanded H/W ID is compared to the hardware on the computer to determine whether a predetermined minimum number of components match. In one embodiment, the expanded H/W ID allows for expansion of the user's computer because so long as the component originally listed in the expanded H/W ID can be found on the computer, then that component matches the expanded H/W ID. Typically, seven out of ten components in the expanded H/W ID must match the computer before the software product will operate.
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^----Note MAC addy bit
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[0016] In another aspect of the invention, the software product is subsequently launched following installation and the software product retrieves the 64-bit hardware ID. The hardware ID is compared to the set of hardware components on the computer on which the software product is installed. If a suitable match occurs, the software product is enabled to operate on the computer. Otherwise, if a suitable match does not occur, the software product is locked and prevented from operating on the computer. Typically, a suitable match is found when at least seven out of ten components identified by the hardware ID are found in the set of hardware components on the current computer. Thus, the invention prevents a user from installing the software product onto multiple different computers because it uses the hardware ID to identify a specific computer.
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Now okay yes this is 'mainly' applicable for your WinXP/2003 OS activation stuff.... But Now if I want to encrypt a HDD what would be the easiest way to indentify 'this computer and only this computer'???
Programmers are usually lazy and choose the easiest path.. And why not.. If its good enough to ensure Billy Gates makes more money from reduced sales, surely its a good enough method to lock down your precious file system...
http://www.licenturion.com/xp/fully-licensed-wpa.txt
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Our answers to these questions are based on Windows XP Release
Candidate 1 (build 2505). Later builds as well as the final version of
Windows XP might differ from build 2505, e.g. in the employed
cryptographic keys or the layout of some of the data
structures.
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As I said originally; I've had it mentioned to me; and never wasted the time (nor needed) to look into how it works... but maybe this might help..
Looks like you may a hot little project on your hands if you are curious enough to pursue.. You understand how the product key is created.. now look @ how the file encryption system works..
0100hrs time for a snooze