If you use Berlac Adviser, need to read this now. If you use Berlac to run your software reports, it may have ended up on the internet in some form or fashion. This allows people to use Google to search for the license keys of software installed on your computer. Check it out (Google::XP Pro Keys).
That said, any software that you paid a large amount of money for (and it talks back to “home”), you need to be careful. This stuff posts the license IDs inside the reports and when you post, it’s public info. For instance:
Adobe Systems, Inc. - Adobe Acrobat 4.0 KWM3xxxxxxxxx095-477
Microsoft - Internet Explorer 55274-640-1619103-23620
Microsoft - Plus! 55705-980-0000007-04234
Microsoft - SQL Server xxxx33-3×5-88×1-056xxx
Microsoft - SQL Server 2000 5xxxx-335-88xxx-0xxxxx21
Microsoft - MSDN 58xxxx-362-54xxxx32-04xxx45 (Key: R2D43xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx29DY) (……..OH YEA BABY!)
Microsoft - Office 54185-640-0xxxxxxx3-17976
Microsoft - VisualStudio xxxxxxxxx524-652-0xxxxxxxxxx-18592 (Key: D64Gxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx2YDYB) (…..Good stuff!)
Microsoft - VSA 55524-652-0xxxxxxxx007-18592 (Key: D64xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxYDYB)
Microsoft - Windows XP Professional 5xxxxxxxx4-640-1xxxxxxx-23xxxxxxxx
Microsoft - Plus! for Windows XP 55705-980-0000007-04234
That was some random developer that posted their report online. Granted, he doesn’t have that much licensed software installed (about a quarter of what I do), but it’s enough to mess things up for him and help you.
Story originally broke here.
