Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Tarik Soulami

Ning Zhang

Brian Stuart Perlman

Wen-Pin Scott Hsu

Thomas J Layson

Mark Zagorski

Josh D Benaloh

Raja Krishnaswamy

Caglar Gunyakti

Steven J Pratschner

Richard Scott Eizenhoefer

Kalpesh S Patel

Kalin Georgiev Toshev

Jeffrey Paul Harker

David Michael Robinson

Ajay Arvind Bhave

Chih-Pin Benjamin Kao

Aaron J Smith

Karthik Lakshminarayanan

Valentin Sliouniaev

Paul Cheng

Anil Bazaz

Josue L Noriega De La Vega

Mark Zhang

Techniques are described for ensuring data integrity and authentication of received messages. One technique includes sending a request from a first module to a second module in which the request includes a first portion that is a shared secret encrypted with a public key, obtaining by the second module a private key from a secure and trusted information store, such as a license information store, including license information or other application specific information for the first module, using the private key to decrypt the first portion and obtain the shared secret, sending a response from the second module to the first module in which the response includes authentication data and at least one data item used with the shared secret to determine the authentication data, and performing by the first module verification processing to verify the authentication data included in the response.

Techniques for ensuring authentication and integrity of communications

A software license for a particular version of a software product on a computing device includes both a branding identifier that identifies the particular version of the software product and component dependency information that identifies one or more aspects of the particular version of the software product. To activate a software product on the computing device, the branding identifier is compared to a portion of the software product on the computing device. If the branding identifier matches the portion of the software product, then the component dependency information is compared to one or more aspects of the software product on the computing device. If the component dependency information matches the one or more aspects of the software product then the software product is activated. Otherwise, the a license state of the software product is kept unchanged.

Version-based software product activation

Systems, methods, and apparatus for generating and validating product keys. In some embodiments, a product key includes security information and identification information identifying at least one copy of a software product. The identifying information may be used to access validation information from at least one source other than the product key, and the validation information may be used to process the identification information and the security information to determine whether the product key is valid. In some further embodiments, the security information includes a first portion to be processed by a first validation authority using first validation information and a second portion to be processed by a second validation authority using second validation information, wherein the second validation information is stored separately from the first validation information.

Secure software product identifier for product validation and activation

Systems, methods, and apparatus for validating product keys. In some embodiments, a product key includes security information and identification information identifying at least one copy of a software product. The security information may include a first portion to be processed by a first validation authority using first validation information and a second portion to be processed by a second validation authority using second validation information. The second validation information may be stored separately from the first validation information and may not be accessible to the first validation authority. In some embodiments, the first validation authority randomly determines whether a product key is to be audited by the second validation authority. Alternatively, the first validation authority may determine whether to audit based on a type of the software product associated with the product key and/or a perceived level of security risk.

Reliable software product validation and activation with redundant security

An instance of an application hierarchy can be stored on a client computer to facilitate enforcement of software licensing by a software license component of a software protection system. The application hierarchy is a tree structure (e.g., unordered) that includes a top node, one or more product offering group(s), and, one or more selling unit(s). A computer-implemented software protection system can facilitate enforcement of software licensing on a client computer. The software protection system includes a software license component that can store and enforce software licensing rule(s). The software license component can further manipulate state data of an instance of the application hierarchy stored in a licensing data store via application program interface(s) (APIs). State data and/or property(ies) of a particular node of the instance of the application hierarchy can be accessed through the API via an assigned identifier.

Application hierarchy and state manipulation

A system, a method, and computer-readable media are provided for altering behavior of software based on detection of an Internet connection. The system, method, and media detect when a computer has connected to the Internet or is capable of connecting to the Internet. This detection may include analyzing a connection history of the computer to the Internet, reporting in real-time when the computer establishes a connection to the Internet, or attempting to actively establish a connection with an Internet resource using the computer. A first set of software functionality may be disabled when a previously established connection with the Internet is identified, a real-time report of a connection with the Internet is generated, or a connection with the Internet resource is established. In addition, a second set of software functionality may be enabled when the first set of software functionality is disabled.

Altering software behavior based on internet connectivity

A method and a processing device are provided for detecting a hardware-based virtual machine environment. An execution time of a privileged instruction may be measured and an execution time of a nonprivileged instruction may be measured. The execution time of the privileged instruction may be compared with the execution time of the nonprivileged instruction. When the execution time of the privileged instruction exceeds the execution time of the nonprivileged instruction by at least a threshold or a threshold factor, then a hardware-based virtual machine environment is detected. In some embodiments, a well-known technique for detecting a software-based virtual machine environment may be used in conjunction with a technique for detecting a hardware-based virtual machine environment. A licensing policy of a software product may be accessed and the software product may be prevented from executing when a detected machine environment is in violation of the licensing policy.

Detection of hardware-based virtual machine environment

Through one or more transaction calls, an application domain manager enables a host application to create, initialize, customize, and otherwise manage an isolation construct within the application.

Transactions for an application domain manager

An application domain manager enables a host application to create, initialize, customize, and otherwise manage an isolation construct within the application.

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Redmond, WA, United States of America

Tarik Soulami