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Microsoft Installs New Software Without Permission

Posted by kdawson on from the slipperiest-of-slopes dept.

Futurepower(R) writes "Even though I have Automatic Updates turned off, on August 28, 2007, between 3:49 and 3:51 AM PDT, Microsoft installed new files on my Windows XP computer." Nine files are updated on Vista and on XP SP1, a different set of on each, relating to Windows Update itself. Microsoft-watch.com's Joe Wilcox and ZDnet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes confirm the stealth update.

5 of 760 comments (clear)

  1. And? by FoolsGold · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm pretty sure the EULA states somewhere MS can do this. You agree to it when clicking that little checkbox for accepting the license when installing the damn OS.

  2. What level of 'disabled' by quantum+bit · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I wonder if this still happens even if you have set the Automatic Updates service to 'Disabled' in services, rather than using the control panel applet which tells it not to update but still leaves the service running.

    Probably a good idea to disable the BITS service too.

  3. omg hackers by deftcoder · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Why hasn't someone diff'd the files that were updated and dived into the disassembly and checked to see what was actually changed?

    Would be more informative than bitching about it...

    --
    Peace sells, but who's buying?
  4. Policy violation by NullProg · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Doesn't this violate every corporate network policy on the planet? What about the defense department?
    What if the one of the computers was monitoring a critical system and the stealth upgrade crashed the system?

    Isn't this a violation of Sarbanes-Oxley computer auditing requirements?

    Food for thought.
    Enjoy,

    --
    It's just the normal noises in here.
  5. Re:Why? Re:Block it by mulvane · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If automatic updates is turned off, and the service is disabled, just how did MS know to send an update to the machine in the first place?