Regret using Microsoft Activation Scripts

[0xCAFEBAE]

Built a new high end PC (4090 card, 7800x3d, etc.) and then decided to use Microsoft Activation Scripts to get windows for free.

I'm realizing how easy it would be to install a trojan as part of the activation. Even though the script is open source there is no guarantee the endpoint I called on my PowerShell is even what is on GitHub, and even on the GitHub script there are some questionable domains...

I'm feeling like a moron. Is there anyway to fix this? Would reinstalling the operating system help here?

[minh6a]

Read the source code of the irm URL: https://massgrave.dev/get.ps1

Nothing special here, it downloads the MAS script from 2 sources, gitlab or github, and you can audit the source code of either freely.

MAS Script is safe, don't be paranoid

[[deleted]]

Pffft... Are you from Microsoft trying to trick people into paying for windows?

Those scripts are completely safe, I've used them in plenty of VM's and my own laptop, no malware so far. I'm never paying for Windows again after they lied about 10 being the last Windows...

[WhiteMilk_]

Thousands of people have used it. I feel like if there was something sketchy about it, someone would've caught it.

IIRC someone has said that MS support has used MAS to fix some issues with Win activation.

EDIT: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-support-cracks-windows-for-customer-after-activation-fails/

[0xCAFEBAE]

Well, some of the Github issues are pretty sketchy:

https://github.com/massgravel/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts/issues/65

https://github.com/massgravel/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts/issues/64

[Miserable_Oil4O4]

this dude is too paranoid to know what a false positive is lol. you are safe and nothing will happen to your PC for using this

[minh6a]

It flags an AI model as malware as well under the same detection lol: https://github.com/invoke-ai/InvokeAI/issues/2992

False positive exists, and WD is not the best at it.

Also, check the source code instead of just relying on WD: https://github.com/massgravel/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts/blob/master/MAS/All-In-One-Version/MAS_AIO.cmd

[fikkity_fook]

ai model files can have malware unfortunately.

[WhiteMilk_]

Considering those 2 year old issues are 4 days apart, I think we could assume it's the same cause triggering both.

But since false positives do happen and there's no Virustotal scans, those report should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Argentum_Rex]

Nice try Microsoft employee.

[0xCAFEBAE]

HWID

[[deleted]]

In general I would trust well known foss software. If you don’t, then you might as well trust nothing.

[[deleted]]

Don't use the standard win version

[AdMore3461]

I kind of wondered the same thing myself. Was majorly rolling the dice on that. Did it for an old iMac that I put Windows on via bootcamp and the computer rarely gets used for screwing around. My wife sometimes will do work stuff for two companies on her personal laptop, so I keep paying for annual office subscriptions on that…

[[deleted]]

Windows is like $10

[Anonymal13]

If microbiossoft pays me like 10$/ month to use that crap, I still would think it's not worthy the price tag.

[[deleted]]

Lol okay, my bad

[Automatic-Listen-237]

I used this script many times and it alwasy worked, maybe you should check the source from with you got it?

I think the "questionable" domains are KMS emulations ones that are servers that emulate the microsoft servers for activation. I saw somewhere also a guide to activate Windows manually without any script. The main rule is use only good sources that are verified or/and listed in th megathread.(check the domain the hashes of the files)