ALERT Windows 10 Shocker: Spyware City

[wardmundy]

The raw numbers come out as follows: in an eight hour period Windows 10 tried to send data back to 51 different Microsoft IP addresses over 5500 times. After 30 hours of use, Windows 10 expanded that data reporting to 113 non-private IP addresses. Being non-private means there is the potential for hackers to intercept this data.

Forbes story: http://nerd.bz/1o2dtau

 

[mbellot]

Shocker? Hardly.

The very first thing I do with a new (personal) computer is disable Windows Update. It really isn't that hard to follow security issues on the web and manually install truly critical patches, once they have been proven not to cause more harm than good.

Apparently that isn't good enough to keep Big Brother Gates from trying to control the computer I paid for any longer.

This may be the final straw that pushes my home systems to an alternative OS as they get upgraded.

 

[MGD4me]

Sock cutters!

 

[phinphan]

Ward, read the follow up from ZDNET. The Forbes story is utter and complete BS according to ZDNET. http://goo.gl/kwGTRf

 

[hecatae]

Ward, read the follow up from ZDNET. The Forbes story is utter and complete BS according to ZDNET. http://goo.gl/kwGTRf

@phinphan that's a very long read, I need a strong coffee to take it all in

 

[wardmundy]

Ward, read the follow up from ZDNET. The Forbes story is utter and complete BS according to ZDNET. http://goo.gl/kwGTRf

Ziff Davis has been a Micro$oft cheerleader for decades so I wouldn't take their pronouncements as gospel either. Funny that Microsoft already has come out saying they'll make changes in Windows 10 so there must be a little more to this than merely pings and checking the time.

 

[jerrm]

ZD is right though - the "hype" factor of the article ("thousands of connections") is pure BS. The real number of transactions factoring out all the retries would be a boring number not worthy of a headline. MS is not denying the tracking. I'd rather they be blatant than stealthy. It's questionable they are any worse than Android or Apple.

 

[magna.vis]

Not to mention that this was blown completely out of proportion to begin with. I've commented on concerns like this before, and the hype and momentum gained by these things is rarely quelled by the reality that inevitably follows. We end up taking passing comments as (or worse, directly issuing) bad advice like: "Turn off Windows Update". I'm not heavily involved in the security realm (I splash around in the kiddy pool, feeling pretty cool sometimes, but always looking on jealously at the big kids in the big kid's pool with all the big kid's toys and the water slide), but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that lines like that are music to hacker's ears.

Now, I know that wasn't specific advice here (rather someone's personal preference), but I would never endorse it, and feel strongly enough to come out of hiding to make this post in regards to it. The occasional scare or issue Microsoft pushes down the line is far preferable to the idea of forgetting to do updates for months. If you're really concerned, make it so your computer updates a day or two prior to the new updates release (updates used to push out on Tuesdays, I don't know if that's still the case). Big issues (if there are any) are often found and updates are pulled by Thursday or Friday, so I would update automatically on Sundays. I don't bother with it at all anymore; I just let my computer do it's updates when it would like to. Because I'd rather be safe from hackers than safe from Microsoft, when it comes down to it.

Don't get me wrong, that's not to say that we should be ignorant either. Or that we shouldn't desire to be aware of what companies collect about us, and what they do with that data. Let's say it was as bad as everyone thought. Microsoft would have some telemetry data on you now. You uninstall the update or find some application that someone wrote to turn it off, and move on with life. Knowing and speaking up are important, but doing regular updates is just as important.

 

[briankelly63]

Putting aside the spying issue I don't like devices that create a lot of network traffic. Multiply this activity by a few hundred windows machines. There are ways to adjust to it but not if you aren't made aware of all this activity in advance.

 

[Dave Gray]

Oh, and since I didn't see it mentioned... Turning off Windows Update? Only if you're an Enterprise-class customer. Otherwise, it's all updates, all the time. (And, given the way they've been pushing Win10 updates on the 8.x users, that's a deal-breaker for me. Who knows what they'll want in the future.)