Microsoft caught doing stealth updates

[Holly_Hobby]

Software giant Microsoft has been caught updating files on both Windows XP and Windows Vista without displaying the usual notification or permission dialog box – even if the user had previously disabled automatic updates. Microsoft, however, calls it built-in behavior and no cause for alarm.

Scott Dunn of “Windows Secrets”, reports nine files in XP and Vista have been altered by Windows Update in what he calls a stealth move by Microsoft. The updates are upgrades to the Windows Update service itself, and are not harmful to the system. However, the tactics used by Microsoft to perform them are comparable to those used by spyware companies, thus raising some concerns among the privacy minded.

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http://www.techspot.com/news/27029-microsoft-caught-doing-stealth-updates.html

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. I was prompted before updating update. Hmmm n/t

[Selatius]

2. I think you can use third party firewalls to alert you of incoming connections by their servers

And then you can take appropriate actions to block them or make the firewall alert you for permission.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

3. Windows biggest security hole..

I wonder how long this has been going on, and what info of mine (not mine anymore, I'm using Linux) is Microsoft looking at.

[crikkett]

4. And people wonder why I'm still on Windows 2000 at my windows machine

Windows 2000 is for pros, and xp is for consumers.

[niceypoo]

6. Linux is for pros

XP is windows 2000 with a bunch of bells and whistles.

[crikkett]

10. yes linux is for pros.

and 2000 is an upgrade of nt

[madokie]

5. I agree with you, it sucks they do this seemingly underhandedly

So its possible for them to put something on your computer without you knowing it, I'm not sure I like the smell of that.

[Nomad559]

7. How Windows Update Keeps Itself Up-to-Date

http://blogs.technet.com/mu/archive/2007/09/13/how-windows-update-keeps-itself-up-to-date.aspx

There have been some questions raised about how we service the Windows Update components and concerns expressed about software installing silently. I want to clarify the issue so that everyone can better understand why the self-updating of Windows Update acts the way it does.

So first some background: Windows Update is designed to help our consumer and small business customers (customers without an IT staff) keep their systems up-to-date. To do this, Windows Update provides different updating options: 1) Install updates automatically, 2) Download updates but let me choose whether to install them, 3) Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them, and 4) Never check for updates.

Our goal is to automate the process wherever possible so that we can increase the likelihood of a system being secure and up-to-date, while giving customers the flexibility to control how and whether updates are installed. The reasons for this are both philosophical and practical. Philosophically, Microsoft believes that users should remain in control of their computer experience. Practically, customers have told us that they want to have time to evaluate our updates before they install them. That said, and to the benefit of both customers and the IT ecosystem, most customers choose to automate the updating experience.

[Steven_S]

8. I ran Spybot-Search & Destroy the other day.....

and I was wondering what that Windows Update thing that was displayed. Thanks for posting.

[zabet]

9. When I do a Spybot sweep...

it shows up as..IEFirewallbypass..from microsoft.