Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Installs New Software Without Permission
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.
Block M$ from having an interwebs connection and update from windiz, works even if they decided to ignore your settings.
They fitted George Orwell's coffin with rollers so he could turn over more easily years ago.
...I cant see how anyone on /. would ever object.
Anyone want popcorn?
That's the proprietary software world for you.
The solution is simple, install Ubuntu.
Under cygwin, you can type:
/cygdrive/c/windows/system32/wuapi.dll | grep 7\.0\.6
strings
If you get back something like:
7.0.6000.381
7.0.6000.381 (winmain(wmbla).070730-1740)
7.0.6000.381
then Microsoft has secretly updated you.
My blog
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.
It would be nice to know the IP address that is being contacted here. With that, automatic update could be turned off at the router/firewall. If you trust Microsoft you always get punished.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
Is it me or does this just seem down right nasty?
If a person who uses vista or xp did not want any updates to their OS, they turn off Automatic updates. It's their choice. Where does Microsoft get off thinking that something like this is acceptable?
If I ran either of those operating systems, I would probably file a lawsuit, as to me that is a huge invasion of privacy. If they can force you to update those few files, they can absolutely view any and every file on your computer.
Although, this should come as no surprise...
I'd give it six months and this will be used to enforce install of WGA on every windows machine.
Why should you have to?
It could be worse, it could be Monday.
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.
Can they pull? Interesting question to ask I think.
license? Do you own your copy of windows? No. You are only licensed to use it under their terms. Do you own M$ Office? No. You are only licensed to use it. If Microsoft wants to change their files on your computer they can. Also read carefully because some licenses of Microsoft actually claim that were you to so much as add any hardware you no longer are licensed and your windows copy will be in validated. I use linux, I don't have these problems. It has never been that Linux was a superior operating system. I mean for the longest time I had to deal with so much shit to to listen to an mp3. BUT the one thing about Linux is Your copy is Your copy to share and to see everythijg it does. Using linux was the first time I could take my Foil Hat off in years.
Does wmbla stand for Windows Man Boy Love Association???
Boy I need to spend time away from the interweb
because a large majority of people dont patch windows and i need to test my software with the least common demoninator to ensure it works on all systems
Does this mean that somewhere hidden deep in the API is the ability to automatically download and install files without user consent? Does this mean that somebody else could use that exact API to do something a bit less friendly? Does anybody else feel a whole new batch of windows security alerts?
http://blog.heavensdomain.net
TFAs only mention XP and Vista, but I have Windows 2000 (it will be the last Windows I ever own, and I'm just keeping it running until my end-of-year trip to the USA, when I'll buy a Macbook) and was surprised when I woke up one day this week (either the 11th or 12th of September) and found my computer showing the "got restarted and waiting for somebody to log in" screen. Before I had a UPS, that happened now and then, but since getting a UPS, that shouldn't happen unless we get a major power failure that lasts longer than the several minutes my UPS's battery gives me. That hasn't happened since I got my UPS, and I noticed that other things around the house showed no signs of power loss, despite my computer having been restarted. /., I thought I might have discovered what happens, but TFAs only talk about XP and Vista.
When I logged in, Windows Update informed me that it had installed updates. That's hard to understand, since I've had Windows Update configured for a long time now to ask me before installing anything. When I saw the item on
So was what happened to my computer (running Win2K) the same thing? Did others with old versions of Windows have the same experience?
"It is nice to know that the computer understands the problem. But I would like to understand it too." --Eugene Wigner
I'm really surprised that they think so little of us that they didn't at least bother to write up a canned statement about the update. Didn't they expect anyone to notice the patching? Many people take others messing with their PCs very seriously, be it micro$oft or some script kiddie out there, and track this kind of thing constantly.
Any word on what the purpose of the patching is?
OK, so have a "test box". I myself have one. Guess what cable never get's plugged into it? That's right, the ethernet cable. If I'm doing something that requires the use of my in-house LAN, guess what gets unplugged....that's right, my connection to the outside world.
It's not that difficult really...I find that having an isolated not-connected (not even to my internal network) windows 98 box is FANTASTIC for my older games...fuck DosBox, I'll just build a 200 dollar killer Win98 box.
Living With a Nerd
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?
What is really sad is that everybody here blindly trust this "article" without really checking and re-checking other sources. That's the scary thing these days.
It's time to realise that Abble's products are the biggest abomination these days. Just say NO to the dumb iAbble way!!
...since Windows 95 even. It's part of the remote registry background process that facilitates the ability to read data from any file in the filesystem, not just only the registry files.
Those are exactly the kinds of things you agree to with EULA's, and it's not just Microsoft. Software licenses get more bizarre and dickish by the day.
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
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.
/.er:Windows is insecure, Microsoft is evil.
/.er:Where are my patches?
/.er:You're evil because you patched my system.
MS:O.k., we'll make a system the user can run and patch them system that way.
/.er:You're evil because most lusers won't set it up properly and the net will be taken over by these luser's machines.
MS:O.k, we'll patch the system involuntarily.
/.er:You're evil for patching my system that way.
MS: You've made a career at being happy with whatever prevails, right?
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
That's a fine setting for a home system. It's asking for trouble in a corporate environment, particularly one where you run custom applications or services. If this happens on your home computer, it's largely an issue of annoyance and inconvenience. If it happens to large numbers of computers in an enterprise, it may mean losses of millions of dollars. Most enterprises test patches on lab machines to identify issues before they deploy them. MS (or Ubuntu or Apple or whomever) has no business patching anyone's machine without permission. Period.
"The legitimate powers of government extend only to such acts as are injurious to others." Thomas Jefferson.
No, whats really scary is just how common it is for blind-MS hate and Linux fanboi-ism to cause people who should know better to do things like run with Windows Update turned off.
Many companies will not install patches - even the automatic Windows Update ones - until they have a chance to test it themselves and make sire that the patch doesn't inadvertently break mission critical applications.
Sometimes, even with known issues, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't...
I happen to like the fact that all three OS's I use (Ubuntu, OSX and Windows) patch themselves automatically for critical updates. I don't get butthurt about any of the three keeping themselves updated.
Wait until you get a call at 4:30 AM from an irate boss complaining that [Killer App A] is no longer working because a patch overwrote a DLL and it's now *your* problem.
If Automatic Update works for you - that's great for you. But for a lot of companies, automatic updates is like playing Russian roulette with a Glock 9mm...
I patch the boxes myself. I do it regularly. I CAN NOT have Microsoft patch them automatically because I run long duration tests that CAN NOT be interrupted by an update or a reboot.
This was definitely without my permission, and raises the question about who has control over my computer, me or Microsoft. If Microsoft can put files on my computer without my knowledge, then it is really Microsoft's computer, which is control that I find extremely objectionable.
As far as i am concerned, you need to have administrative privileges to alter those files. That means - MS does have them. So they have access to all data on affected (or should I say infected) PC. Now that's something authorities have to be VERY worried about. If they can use this loophole - someone else can act the same way. So much for privacy...
Ahh, what a pleasure it is to run emerge -uDN world. Updates only when YOU decide to do them. Ultimate freedom if you wish.
This freedom clearly overcomes all artificial difficulties with Linux. By "artificial" i mean hardware providers who don't provide drivers/specs and stupid patent regulations that require you to manually install additional codecs in order to play mp3/dvd. Linux IS a superior system because both problems have nothing to do with the system itself.
On a more personal level, I dislike most Microsoft products (with certain notable exceptions), because I think they have a corporate culture that promotes mediocrity and "good enough"-ness. As someone who has always labored to pursue quality and technical correctness as an end in itself, I find the inherent laziness in their products offensive. I understand this is a personal decision; looking at other product arenas, the mass market is usually filled with garbage. This is fine, and consumers should have a choice as to what they want to buy. However, I detest Microsoft for virtually eliminating the consumer's ability to buy better.
Also, they have an apparent contempt for both their competitors, which is understandable if unwarranted, and their customers, which is unacceptable.
I don't hate Microsoft for being on top. I hate them for being on top, while pushing an inferior product than the market would produce in their absence, on all of us.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
the article says that computers configured to update via WSUS were not affected. I can confirm that my computer wasn't updated. Most companies that pay attention to their updates probably use WSUS to manage them.
-- "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" -Optimus Prime
Exactly what I was going to say. Any larger organization worth its salt is using a standard image on their PCs. Changes to that image have to be properly vetted through a change control process. For Microsoft to make changes with AutoUpdate turned off is, quite simply, wrong.
Sorry for replying to my own post, but further reading suggests this isn't nearly as bad as TFSummary makes out. If you follow the links to the stories on the other sites, and read the comments and links given there, a lot of people are suggesting that this is only updating Windows Update files when you visit the Windows Update site, and not in fact a push of arbitrary changes at all. There's so much hype and FUD flying around this discussion that it's hard to see the wood for the trees.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.