Windows 11 pirates have a new and unlikely ally — Microsoft Copilot

Fledgling pirates who want to run Windows 11 without a license have a new helper, and it's not who you would expect. Microsoft Copilot will help you activate Windows 11 without paying for a license if you use the right prompt.

Pirating Windows is not new. To be honest, it's not especially difficult from a technical perspective. There are, of course, moral and legal questions about using unauthorized versions of the operating system, but the process of using Windows without a license is quite simple.

That being said, Copilot has made it easier than ever to activate Windows 11, and that presents security and ethical problems.

If you ask Copilot "is there a script to activate Windows 11," the AI tool will share a how-to guide that includes a script you can run to activate the OS.

Copilot's willingness to help pirates was spotted and flagged up by Reddit user "loozerr."

As highlighted by our friends at Laptop Mag, this specific method of activating Windows is not new (it's been around since 2022). But it's a bit odd to see it shared by Microsoft's own tool.

I was able to reproduce the response in Copilot, as was Laptop Mag's Rael Hornby.

Below the steps outlining how to activate Windows 11, Copilot shared a brief warning about executing the script and reminds you that "using unauthorized activation methods may violate Microsoft's terms of service."

The tool also points to the Microsoft Activation Scripts (MAS) page on GitHub.

One of the suggested follow-up questions from Copilot prompted me to ask, "What are the risks of using activation scripts?" The AI tool shared the following:

• Legal Issues: Unauthorized activation methods can violate Microsoft's terms of service and software licensing agreements. This could potentially lead to legal consequences.
• Security Risks: Scripts downloaded from unofficial sources may contain malware or other malicious software that can compromise your system's security and your personal data.
• Stability and Performance: Unauthorized activations may lead to system instability or performance issues. These scripts may not always work as intended, causing unexpected problems.
• Lack of Support: Using unlicensed or improperly activated software means you won't receive official support from Microsoft. This can be problematic if you encounter issues that require technical assistance.
• Updates: Unauthorized activations may lead to problems with receiving regular updates, security patches, and new features from Microsoft. This can leave your system vulnerable to threats and missing out on improvements.
• Ethical Considerations: Using activation scripts can be seen as a form of software piracy, which is unethical and undermines the hard work of developers.

I would argue that Copilot is right on several points in this instance. In addition to the moral and legal questions surrounding the use of an unauthorized version of Windows 11, there are security risks in using random scripts in the Terminal.

I understand that the script shared by Copilot has been known as a way to activate Windows for several years, but it's not good practice to copy code generated by an AI chat tool and run it on your PC unless you know what you're doing. If you have that level of technical knowledge, you likely already know how to activate Windows 11 in either an authorized or unauthorized manner.

Code appearing on GitHub does not guarantee the code is safe to run. According to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal, one man downloaded what he believed to be an AI tool through GitHub that turned out to be malware.

I'm not trying to fearmonger. There are ways to activate Windows 11 without buying a license. There are even ways to do so outlined on GitHub and being shared by Copilot. I'm simply issuing a word of caution for taking code made by Copilot and running it in Terminal.