IP and MS Unique ID's traceable ...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/21307.html
28 August 2001
Unique ID is built into WinXP final build
Microsoft has quietly slipped a Universally Unique ID (UUID) into the
ISO of build 2600 of Windows XP, thus giving itself the capability of
tracking code leaks back to whoever it was that leaked them. News of
the UUID's presence originally broke in the Microsoft beta newsgroups,
but the matter has been followed up by Steve Gibson of GRC after
postings were forwarded to him.
The UUID is located 9400 bytes from the start of the file, and is a
HEX ASCII identifier which specifies the downloader's beta test ID and
the IP address they're downloading from. So, all Microsoft has to do
is download the warez ISO images of 2600 that are currently spreading
through the usual channels. It then knows whose beta ID was used to
leak the software, and can maybe figure out a little more of what's
been going on from the IP address.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.3 : Fri Aug 01 2014 - 20:32:03 EDT