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| Thread ID: 36079 | 2003-07-30 10:48:00 | win xp. how do I prevent Microsoft access | vitom (1016) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 163943 | 2003-07-30 21:07:00 | > > Well, yes, you might love that idea, but the many > people who test those updates before general public > release won't exactly all keep quiet if they're paid > not to say that something contains spyware. > > Heard of Strategic Division of Labour?? :) Besides > the testers wouldn't be testing the source code, they > would be testing the compiled code, so they don't > actually know whats going on beind the scenes -right? Incorrect :) Testers aren't your typical computer users - they're generally people who know what they're doing and know what to look for. They'd often have scanners and such watching their ports for any unusual activity after running the updates etc. If something untoward was happening they'd say something about it. I'm testing Office 2003. When beta 1 came out my firewall had a fit every time it tried to connect, and all it was doing was trying to communicate with the beta server to say that it was being tested. I'm sure I wasn't the only one to complain, and in the subsequent beta releases I've noticed that there is a lot less (if any) net communication coming out of it. People may not trust Microsoft and what they put into their software, but that said Microsoft isn't stupid; even if they put it into their software license that they could snoop inside your computer, they know that if they did they wouldn't have a legal leg to stand on. Give up on your paranoia and conspiracy theories. We have a lot more to worry about than the possibility of Microsoft "snooping", such as people who actually do snoop through your computer (probably while your worrying about Microsoft). Mike. |
Mike (15) | ||
| 163944 | 2003-07-30 22:33:00 | >>they know that if they did they wouldn't have a legal leg to stand on. In a perfect world, the justice system wouldn't be open to influence but the world is not perfect. Also Microsoft change the licencing agreement which the user has to agree too before using the software (although you would think that common law would override stupid licencing agreements). |
Dolby Digital (160) | ||
| 163945 | 2003-07-30 22:36:00 | > Incorrect :) Testers aren't your typical computer > users - they're generally people who know what > they're doing and know what to look for. To be honest, when I downloaded rc1 of .NET Server 2K3, I had never installed Server software before, all my networking experience etc. had been done with regular versions of Doze! I had no idea what went wrong then too, when suddenly my ISA NIC which had worked natively since Win95 wasnt working! > They'd > often have scanners and such watching their ports for > any unusual activity after running the updates etc. > If something untoward was happening they'd say > something about it. LOL, not me though.. Maybe Im the only one, but still, even when I downloaded rc2, I didnt have anything like that ;-) Ive had a friend impliment rc2 (he used my CD and his own key to save on download) into his company, and he wasnt running anything else like that, it was terminal serving iirc.. no need for a firewall running on the PC's specifically.. they get all kind of crazy things trying to go in and out of the network, so who would have noticed it ;-) > People may not trust Microsoft and what they put into > their software, but that said Microsoft isn't stupid; > even if they put it into their software license that > they could snoop inside your computer, they know that > if they did they wouldn't have a legal leg to stand > on. Give up on your paranoia and conspiracy > theories. We have a lot more to worry about than the > possibility of Microsoft "snooping", such as people > who actually do snoop through your computer (probably > while your worrying about Microsoft). I see it like this: You walk into a cafe, and as you walk in, you sign an agreement form. You drink your coffee, and in that coffee is a tiny little pill/bug that the cafe could use, because you've signed an agreement, and they can use that bug to listen to what you say, origionally for research purposes on coffee and how it affects people, or fav types, but who knows what else it could be used for..... The cafe doesnt have to use it, but because you've signed the agreement form when you went into the cafe letting them slip you a bug into your coffee, they can if they choose to. Now, how is this different from what may be in Windows Media Player 9, or the latest Windows Service Packs? I dont know about you, but Ive only ever seen compiled binaries of WMP, no source code.... Of course, you can always just use a firewall :-) *Would like to note that on the Gateway PC, there is currently WMP9 and WinXP SP1 ;-)* |
Chilling_Silently (228) | ||
| 163946 | 2003-07-30 22:42:00 | > Microsoft change the licencing agreement which the > user has to agree too before using the software > (although you would think that common law would > override stupid licencing agreements) . Exactly! We agree to a whole ton of stuff just by clicking I agree . . . and because we want the latest and greatest, most dont care about giving MS that kind of liberties! When I downloaded and installed RedHat, not once did I click "I agree" to anything! When I install Microsoft's latest Media Player, I agree to some shocking things . . . just ask Geoff Palmer ;-) |
Chilling_Silently (228) | ||
| 163947 | 2003-07-31 06:13:00 | I'd just like to point out that, before Windows Server 2003 (formerly Windows .NET Server) Release Candidate 1 was released to general testers (whether they paid for a CD, downloaded it, or obtained it via other means), other testers would have already tested it... one of the upsides of being a member of the MSDN is that you get to do stuff like that. The downside is that it is damned expensive, explaining why I'm not a member of the MSDN. Also, if you're talking about those spying features in WMP9... well, because I don't have a hardware decoder, I need a software once, which is why I have to install some other DVD software, which comes with a completely separate player, meaning MS won't see all DVDs I watch (and I've got a set top DVD player to do that, anyway, and it's region free, so, I don't even need my computer). Also, as a rule of thumb, I block Windows Explorer, Windows Media Player, and various other system elements (including the drizzler programs that come with MSN Messenger) from internet access. If you use Microsoft, you should do that too. |
agent (30) | ||
| 163948 | 2003-07-31 06:41:00 | Paranoia... You use Google too as well...? You know of the cookie they give you which doesn't start moulding until 2038? or that you have a Unique ID thingy which is stored in that cookie and used for all your searches until you delete that cookie and get a new one? Or that they foward some searches onto the US Dept of Justice..? People are watching you regardless of whether you like it or not.. This is some freaky times man... CyberChuck P.S: You might wanna check your house out incase it's been rigged with Camera's kinda like Big Brother or the Trueman show.. Who know's who's watching you? |
cyberchuck (173) | ||
| 163949 | 2003-07-31 08:22:00 | Actually, there are camera systems designed specifically for monitoring what goes on in your own house, mainly for teen's room's etc iirc.. Its amazing the stuff you find on Xtramsn and related portal pages ;-) |
Chilling_Silently (228) | ||
| 163950 | 2003-07-31 11:03:00 | Well how about putting some dodgy code into a major service pack ie SP3 for Win2k?? Service packs update quite a lot of things, hence you might have to reconfigure your firewall if they updated svchost.exe. Now that new svchost.exe which has to access the internet in order for your internet to work, could contain some spyware/keyloggers etc. Also seeing that program is allowed to access the net all the time, it could send / recieve anything it wanted to MS. How about Outlook Express, or Outlook even? Each time you send a message, it secretly sends a second message off to MS containing all the keystrokes since the last email. There would be no way of telling whether your computer sent one or 2 messages, because the secret one isn't detectable! Not impossible, and if MS can write something as complex as XP, then its certainly within their grasp. Also to add to the Strategic Division of Labour idea: Lets say all the microsoft employees are working on Service Pack 2 for XP. When its about to be released, they send it on to Bill for the final go-ahead. He adds some dodgy code to it, and then makes them release that. No-one is any wiser, and Bill is the only one that knows the new Service Pack contains spyware! :) He could just add code to the final product each time, and everyone at MS is still modifying the original, non-spyware code. |
PoWa (203) | ||
| 163951 | 2003-07-31 14:48:00 | > Hey anyone know about svchost.exe???? You have to let > this program access the internet or else you can't do > anything on the net. Dodgy as! No-one knows what it > actually does, no-one can monitor the packets its > sending and it wouldn't be hard for MS to slip in > some code to do some spying. I think its a > backdoor/trojan for MS into your pc. > - Would love to see some irrefutable proof about > svchost ;) This app seems to control the various services that run in XP, all of which can be checked and either enabled or disabled via Computer Management (be cautious about disabling them!) For a quick view on what's running open a dos session and type in tasklist /svc. Mine can be seen here (www.mis.co.nz) |
Greg S (201) | ||
| 163952 | 2003-07-31 23:01:00 | With 100's of millions of computers all using the internet sending 100's of packets a second, keeping a track on all individuals is quite a task. A simplier task would be to watch an individual or site and then start a recording session. I worked in a ISP and this task is quite easy when you have access to the equipment that ISP users connect to. As to Microsoft monitoring you. Fear not, the volume of MS users is too great for tracking. As seen here (www.theregister.co.uk) the information sent to MS can only help them help you. i.e. ensure you have the latest drivers, fixes, etc for you PC. |
KiwiTT (4082) | ||
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