Office 11 Broken in

A group called the “Holics Project” have, according to various reliable resources, successfully released a working “crack” that disables Office 11 Beta 1′s WPA (Windows Production Activation) module. Sources within WinBeta have confirmed the crack to be a working example of software that “breaks” WPA, for now at least.

This really is quite a blow to Microsoft’s anti-piracy effort. Not only is it an embarrassment, but unlike previous Microsoft cracks this crack patches files, as opposed to simply resetting timing mechanisms. This proves a major “advancement” (if one might call it that) against Microsoft’s anti-piracy mechanisms. The crack patches the files “Mso.dll”, in a similar fashion to Office XP cracks.

However, one can surely rely on Microsoft for a swift update and code change. This is only the first beta, and as such is likely to carry much code from previous versions. Microsoft aren’t really under any major pressure to get this out of the door, and hence have much scope to adapt their code to make this patch un-workable.

If you would like to get your hands on this little gem, please solicit the group that made it, they can be found at irc.holics.net #holics. Or their website at http://www.holics.net. Although I’m sure it will be widely available shortly, pop on over and show them your appreciation. The single zip includes all you need to thoroughly sample Office 11 for more than 10 uses.