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| Thread ID: 70362 | 2006-06-30 17:35:00 | Latest WGA News... | SurferJoe46 (51) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 467487 | 2006-06-30 17:35:00 | This oughtta be a sticky on top of the pile because this is going to be a very hot topic for a while yet, and maybe posts and updates without editorializing can be done here....anyway, the next salvo: Microsoft Reissues Anti-Piracy Tool, Lawyers Sue (blog.washingtonpost.com) Microsoft this week reissued a software component designed to detect pirated versions of Windows, citing a consumer backlash following revelations that part of the program phoned home to Redmond each day plus every time the user rebooted the machine. Meanwhile, a new class-action lawsuit charges that the software giant installed the program on users' machines in a misleading way and did not give customers notice that the program would communicate data back to Microsoft. Understanding the current controversy requires a bit of a history review. In June 2005, Microsoft began its Windows Genuine Advantage program, a piece of software that users had to install before they could download programs or other tools from the company's Web site. In April, it expanded WGA (blog.washingtonpost.com), pushing it out to Windows XP users in the United States and a few other countries who downloaded the company's security updates. At the same time, Microsoft began shipping its WGA notification tool, designed to nag users who fail the WGA test with periodic pop-up messages saying their copy of Windows may be pirated. When it came to light that the notification tool also was continually sending data back to Microsoft, privacy advocates complained that the company had not disclosed clearly enough what kind of information its program would collect about users. According to a story this week over at BetaNews (www.betanews.com) , Microsoft is now officially rolling out the anti-piracy reminders to XP users worldwide: "The company has made minor changes to the program in response to customer concern regarding its 'phone home' functionality,'" so that "the update no longer checks a configuration file located on Microsoft's servers, but the program will still communicate with the company periodically." The story continues: "When asked how often customers' computers will connect to Microsoft, the company told BetaNews [that] the frequency varies depending upon license type, but typically takes place every 90 days or so. This enables Microsoft to update our list of bad keys, and ensure that newly discovered counterfeits are not proliferating." The dust-up over potential privacy problems with Microsoft's anti-piracy program was enough to drive at least one New York attorney to ask a federal judge in Washington to certify a class-action suit against Microsoft, charging that the company violated anti-spyware laws in California and Washington state when it collected information about consumers without clearly disclosing that activity in its end-user license agreement. (Click this for a PDF copy of the lawsuit: blog.washingtonpost.com) "What Microsoft did to induce people to load this [notification] program onto their computers was misleading, and Microsoft never said was going to communicate information about your computer and Internet address, but it did," said Scott Kamber (portal.courts.state.ny.us m&p_arg_values=2506707) , the attorney who filed the case. BetaNews said Microsoft has since changed its EULA "to more clearly specify the purpose of WGA Notifications" and provided details on what customers should consider before installing the tool, along with an updated privacy statement covering its behavior. It remains to be seen whether these changes will satisfy privacy advocates and class-action lawyers like Kamber, who maintain that Microsoft should provide users with a way to remove the program. According to BetaNews, Microsoft also recently provided instructions for how to remove the previous version of the notification software (instructions and third-party tools for doing just that have been available online for weeks now). You might think this would lay the whole issue to rest, but you'd be wrong. Some notable technology bloggers have posited that Microsoft is preparing to push out a digital "kill switch" that could work with WGA to remotely disable machines found to be running pirated copies of Windows. Dave Farber, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, reports in his blog that a reader had a rather interesting conversation with a Microsoft support representative about his concerns on installing the WGA software. Farber quotes his reader: "[The Microsoft rep] spent some time telling me that WGA was a good thing, etc. I reiterated that I have accepted all the updates except WGA and just want to review the updates before they're installed on my machine. He told me that 'in the fall, having the latest WGA will become mandatory and if its not installed, Windows will give a 30 day warning and when the 30 days is up and WGA isn't installed, Windows will stop working, so you might as well install WGA now.'" ZDNet blogger Ed Bott writes: "Hackers have been working overtime to find ways to disable WGA notification. If WGA becomes mandatory, would it mean that Microsoft could prevent Windows from working if it determines -- possibly erroneously -- that your copy isn't 'genuine'? That's a chilling possibility, and Microsoft refuses an easy opportunity to deny that that option is in its plans." Chilling, indeed, and potentially very messy for Microsoft from a public-relations standpoint. from: blog.washingtonpost.com About The Author: Brian Krebs joined The Washington Post Company in 1995, and has been writing about technology and computer security since 2000. A graduate of George Mason University, he lives in Annandale with his wife Jennifer. In his spare time, Krebs tinkers with five computers and dozens of other chirping, blinking devices. |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 467488 | 2006-06-30 23:16:00 | Interesting | jermsie (6820) | ||
| 467489 | 2006-07-01 05:04:00 | You seem extremely worried about this SurferJoe. If ou are anxious about your own XP, do a reinstall, tweak everything how you want, stop at SP1, no updates, use 3rd party protection then ghost it. |
pctek (84) | ||
| 467490 | 2006-07-01 17:45:00 | You seem extremely worried about this SurferJoe . If ou are anxious about your own XP, do a reinstall, tweak everything how you want, stop at SP1, no updates, use 3rd party protection then ghost it . Actually my plan is this: Learn KUBUNTU and Mepis really fast! then: Since I have XP-Pro on both puters and SP-2 on cd, I will make a clean install on both later when things get intolerable with M$ . I will have to from time to time go onto the internet with XP, and if I have SP-2 + some really good anti-stuff . . . I feel I'll be ok . Unfortunately, a few of the things I use need Windows as a base of operation . . so I have to at least have it installed even if I don't ever go online with Windows again . Since I am not a gamer, I wonder how those who choose to not install the latest bells and spyware from M$ will fare when they are playing games online . Seems to me that they are setting themselves up for some really nasty stuff if they get had while in the middle of some virtual joust . BTW: I have turned off the balloon on the taskbar to remind you to get updates installed . It is in the list of TOOLS>>Startups in SpyBot S&D if you want a good place to kill the process . |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 467491 | 2006-07-01 21:09:00 | Microsoft gave in yesterday and announced that they 'Do not and will not' have the ability to disable a copy of XP through WGA. Me wonders if they are telling the truth? :rolleyes: |
Shortcircuit (1666) | ||
| 467492 | 2006-07-01 21:28:00 | Since I am not a gamer, I wonder how those who choose to not install the latest bells and spyware from M$ will fare when they are playing games online. Seems to me that they are setting themselves up for some really nasty stuff if they get had while in the middle of some virtual joust. Why do people think you need MS to protect your PC? They are the reason the thing needs protecting in the first place. Trying to make it secure with updates from MS is like trying to make a bucket by putting sticking plasters on a sieve. Theres plenty of excellent 3rd party protection around - made by people whio know what they are doing... |
pctek (84) | ||
| 467493 | 2006-07-01 21:54:00 | I'd have to agree, although I'm no gamer I NEVER caught anything nasty from my unpatched XP install using Zone alarm, AVG and spybot. The only nasty things I caught were from Microsoft when I updated to SP2 :thumbs: |
Shortcircuit (1666) | ||
| 467494 | 2006-07-01 23:42:00 | I'd have to agree, although I'm no gamer I NEVER caught anything nasty from my unpatched XP install using Zone alarm, AVG and spybot . The only nasty things I caught were from Microsoft when I updated to SP2 :thumbs: I tend to agree there . . . . but I also feel I got some neat options and newer and better opsys with SP-2 than naked XP . SP-2 is pretty much a re-write of XP . . it is large, intrusive and without going over all the bumpy roads of prior posts, it has it's detractions if your system is already "invaded" . I truly prefer SP-2 being in my system . . . even welcomed it really . The only thing I hate to see is that someone entering my bedroom where my puters are changing things in license to a EULA that they change at will for purposes that are unknown or uninformed upon the general population . I killed WGA from calling home thru Spybot, and I truly have seen an increase in available cycles for me to use now that it's been muted . I actually feel that WGA phoned home as soon as the internet link was connected . . . and even before AVG or Windows Firewall got up and running . There were a lot of blinking lights on both the dsl modem and the router that were not there before WGA got it's nose into my system . Maybe WGA decided for itself that it had priority over firewalls and antispyware . I also had a lot of time-outs and "server not founds" with it . . . none now that I coldcocked it . Maybe this is the reason for all the bad post times with F1 . . . like I was complaining about on a different post . Maybe M$ didn't like the competition and commandered the connections to F1 and other places . MSN messenger was especially hard hit before . I was beginning to think the dual-boot attempt with KUBUNTU changed something . . . . . . . . must wait and see . . . . . . . prob not, though! |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 467495 | 2006-07-01 23:51:00 | When I 'upgraded' to SP2 within seconds ZA had about 10 instances of M/soft bits wanting to access the net... it would not surprise me if WGA found a way around ZA :groan: | Shortcircuit (1666) | ||
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