A hacker group has released what some are calling "the biggest ever breakthrough in Windows/Office piracy." This new method can permanently activate most Microsoft products, completely bypassing Microsoft's anti-piracy system. However, Microsoft doesn't seem to care.
Massgrave is the elusive team behind some of the most effective Windows and Office activation tools. The "TSforge Activation" method can permanently activate many Windows and Office versions. It could also provide users with a convenient way to get Windows 10 patches after October 2025.
Hackers launched their Microsoft Activation Script (MAS) project in 2024, claiming that it would completely dismantle Microsoft's DRM protection. The newly released MAS3.0 update adds the TSforge activation method to the toolkit, while also including fixes and improvements to existing activation scripts.
Massgrave claims that TSforge is one of the most powerful and far-reaching activation vulnerabilities ever discovered by MAS. In a recent blog post, the hackers detailed how they discovered and exploited the vulnerability and provided an in-depth explanation of Microsoft's Windows Activation Protection system.
Redmond calls its modern DRM technology "Software Protection Platform" (SPP). This "highly complex" system consists of multiple components, with product activation information stored in two key files: "Physical Storage" (data.dat) and "Token Storage" (tokenens.dat). TSforge exploited this system by injecting fake data into these stores, bypassing all checks and forcing the SPP to recognize the fake product key or confirmation ID as valid.
The TSforge activation method supports Windows 7 and higher operating systems, including Windows Server (2008R2 to 2025). It also works with Office 2013 to 2024 running on Windows 8 or newer. Users can activate various add-ons for commercial Windows licenses, including the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for certain Windows 7 to 10 versions. Additionally, users can also extend Windows 10 updates via methods previously discovered for Windows 7.
The Microsoft Activation Script (MAS) toolkit provides several methods for activating new versions of Windows and Office. The developers of Massgrave did not forget to express their appreciation to Microsoft, saying that the new SPP is a well-designed advanced DRM system that greatly improves the "poorly designed" DRM in Windows XP. The group claims that the MAS toolkit is a popular open source project hosted on Microsoft-owned GitHub and therefore is not technically involved in piracy. They describe it as another activation method that Microsoft support employees allegedly use when all else fails.