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RougeUnderoos · 07-26-2005, 12:16 PM

http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/sto.../International/

In a determined strike to quell the proliferation of counterfeit software, beginning today, Microsoft will require that all customers coming to its website for upgrades and other downloads submit their computers to an electronic frisking.

I don't like this for a variety of reasons, privacy being just one of them.

Also, I'm not very computer literate (though literate enough to be worried about this I guess) so can someone tell me if they will just be searching for illegitimate Microsoft products? Or will it be other kinds as well?

Otto-matic · 07-26-2005, 12:21 PM

I dont like that at all.

I have nothing to hide from them but it just is invading privacy. I dont want someone looking through my stuff.

CaramonLS · 07-26-2005, 12:49 PM

Another reason not to download windows update.

Of course, the reason I don't download it already is because for some reason after it installs my computer wont reboot, and I have to do system restore to get it back to normal.

photon · 07-26-2005, 01:00 PM

Microsoft has had this on their site for a while though you could opt out of it. When you go to download some things it has a part where it wants to verify your version of Windows. Before you could skip it but you knew that they'd turn it on fully one of these days.

It only checks for a valid copy of Windows, it doesn't look for any other software.

Security updates aren't restricted (which is good). And just as with activation, no information is sent to Microsoft, only a yes/no if your copy of Windows is valid.

Keeping your operating system up to day is pretty important security wise; an unpatched Windows XP box put onto the Internet will be hacked in an average of 12 minutes...

EDIT: http://www.techworld.com/applications/news...cfm?NewsID=4102

RougeUnderoos · 07-26-2005, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by photon@Jul 26 2005, 01:00 PM
Microsoft has had this on their site for a while though you could opt out of it. When you go to download some things it has a part where it wants to verify your version of Windows. Before you could skip it but you knew that they'd turn it on fully one of these days.

It only checks for a valid copy of Windows, it doesn't look for any other software.

Security updates aren't restricted (which is good). And just as with activation, no information is sent to Microsoft, only a yes/no if your copy of Windows is valid.

Keeping your operating system up to day is pretty important security wise; an unpatched Windows XP box put onto the Internet will be hacked in an average of 12 minutes...

EDIT: http://www.techworld.com/applications/news...cfm?NewsID=4102

Beauty. I'm good then. I was worried that they'd scope it for anything that isn't totally legit and then, hypothetically, deny me an update.

evman150 · 07-26-2005, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CaramonLS@Jul 26 2005, 10:49 AM
Another reason not to download windows update.

Of course, the reason I don't download it already is because for some reason after it installs my computer wont reboot, and I have to do system restore to get it back to normal.

This happens to me as well.

I just gave up. Not worth the hassle.

Incinerator · 07-26-2005, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RougeUnderoos+Jul 26 2005, 07:03 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (RougeUnderoos @ Jul 26 2005, 07:03 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-photon@Jul 26 2005, 01:00 PM
Microsoft has had this on their site for a while though you could opt out of it. When you go to download some things it has a part where it wants to verify your version of Windows. Before you could skip it but you knew that they'd turn it on fully one of these days.

It only checks for a valid copy of Windows, it doesn't look for any other software.

Security updates aren't restricted (which is good). And just as with activation, no information is sent to Microsoft, only a yes/no if your copy of Windows is valid.

Keeping your operating system up to day is pretty important security wise; an unpatched Windows XP box put onto the Internet will be hacked in an average of 12 minutes...

EDIT: http://www.techworld.com/applications/news...cfm?NewsID=4102

Beauty. I'm good then. I was worried that they'd scope it for anything that isn't totally legit and then, hypothetically, deny me an update. [/b][/quote]
Nah they neither have the authority nor the time to do something silly like that.

photon · 07-26-2005, 04:06 PM

Heh, plus you KNOW that the instant that news hit /. thousands of *nix nerds were firing up their packet sniffers ripping apart every bit of info in those transactions looking for some evidence that M$ was up to no good.

Cube Inmate · 07-26-2005, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by photon@Jul 26 2005, 12:00 PM
Keeping your operating system up to day is pretty important security wise; an unpatched Windows XP box put onto the Internet will be hacked in an average of 12 minutes...

Where'd you get that stat?

photon · 07-26-2005, 04:38 PM

There was an article on it a while back:

http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/0...tid=220&tid=218

There was a string of ones like that for a while, some were 4 minutes, etc.. I know I've had it happen to me once when I put a freshly built PC outside the firewall for a few minutes just to test something. Took about a minute before it had got a worm of some sort.

Cube Inmate · 07-26-2005, 04:45 PM

"There is a 50 percent chance your unprotected Windows PC will be compromised within 12 minutes of going online, says security vendor Sophos."

Not to defend Windows or anything, but I find a stat like that suspicious coming from a security vendor.

photon · 07-26-2005, 05:41 PM

True, what better way to increase sales than to instill fear into the masses? But even if they are off by a wide margin (120 minutes instead of 12) that's still a significant risk.

If you really want to find out, download ethereal and find out how long it takes before you see a packet on known worm ports. Usually doesn't take very long.

The point being that putting an unpatched machine without good protection onto the Internet means you've got a good chance of being hacked within a very short timespan.

EDIT: Another one from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/t...-honeypot_x.htm

photon · 07-26-2005, 07:51 PM

Hm, it seems the "validation" process gathers more information than that other article implied, and I don't like the idea of a unique "cookie" being placed on my system.

http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/faq.aspx

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/busi...icrosoft26.html

Quote:

The genuine validation process will collect information about your system, such as Windows product key, PC manufacturer, and operating system version, to determine if Windows is genuine. This process does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify you or contact you. The complete list of information collected in the validation process is shown below:

* OEM product key
* PC Manufacturer
* OS version
* PID/SID
* BIOS info (make, version, date)
* BIOS MD5 Checksum
* User Locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
* System Local (language version of the operating system)

I didn't mind activation so much because it only happened when installing, but this is almost like activating Windows with every update.

This is sneaky too because typically an OEM copy of Windows (for example) is supposed to be tied to the system it's installed on. If you build a new system you're not supposed to move your Windows to the new system, you're supposed to buy a new copy.

Activation already combats this but this will let them monitor and enforce that a little further.

And of course the true pirates will get around it in no time, so the only people who this really hurts is the average customer

Mike__ · 07-26-2005, 09:01 PM

So how long before people try to put out pirated patches?

Reggie Dunlop · 07-26-2005, 09:19 PM

Here's an easy solution.

Pay for your software.

Pagal4321 · 07-26-2005, 09:50 PM

I'm sorry, I'm a poor student.....I OBVIOUSLY paid for my copy of Windows XP.

HOZ · 07-26-2005, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Reggie Dunlop@Jul 27 2005, 03:19 AM
Here's an easy solution.

Pay for your software.

HA! Or have a removable HD that they cannot scan when it is not attached!

But hey...I only asked.

HumanTorch · 07-26-2005, 11:02 PM

Just another reason to use Mac.

Cube Inmate · 07-27-2005, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Reggie Dunlop@Jul 26 2005, 08:19 PM
Here's an easy solution.

Pay for your software.

That's not a solution to privacy concerns.

Although, you must be commended on your uncanny ability to miss the point.

MarchHare · 07-27-2005, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Reggie Dunlop@Jul 26 2005, 09:19 PM
Here's an easy solution.

Pay for your software.

I have a legal copy of Windows XP Professional running on one of my boxes and a legal copy of Windows Server 2003 running on another box. There currently isn't a single piece -- Microsoft or otherwise -- of pirated software running on any of my computers.

I have nothing to hide, but I don't like this one bit. It's not going to do anything to deter piracy (it'll be hacked in less than a week), and it's an invasion of my privacy.