New Windows 7/8/8.1 updates spy on you just like Windows 10

[Dabombinable]

This is drastically complicated method, and isn't even close to other method in terms of "probability".

I doubt they would run those kind of algorithms.

Its Microsoft. They have a lot of financial and technical backing.

[Tomsen]

Its Microsoft. They have a lot of financial and technical backing.

I'm also sure NSA is renting out some of their dinosaur clusters out for this 'dinosauric' method. /s

[Leonard]

This is drastically complicated method, and isn't even close to other method in terms of "probability".

I doubt they would run those kind of algorithms.

Microsoft isn't running the algorithms, it is who they hand the data to that has and run those types of algorithms. All the collected data can be subject to US law and as is stated in the privacy statement, once requested then the data is handed over. We, the general public/end user, does not specify what is or should not be requested thus making this a real problem to the general public/end user. 

 

While i am not and i repeat not part of ISIS or their views, i don't want some robot in a suit knowing that my wife is telling me some private information that should only be between the two of us. 

[Tomsen]

Microsoft isn't running the algorithms, it is who they hand the data to that has and run those types of algorithms. All the collected data can be subject to US law and as is stated in the privacy statement, once requested then the data is handed over. We, the general public/end user, does not specify what is or should not be requested thus making this a real problem to the general public/end user. 

 

While i am not and i repeat not part of ISIS or their views, i don't want some robot in a suit knowing that my wife is telling me some private information that should only be between the two of us. 

Do we know exactly what kind of data they are handing over?

I doubt they are running it.. Do we have anything to indicate this?

 

Thought for a second we had a true ISIS member on this forum! 

[dalekphalm]

So how do we REALLY protect our personal data we store on our windows machines? Do things like bitlocker or encrypting our storage drives work against this bullshit? 

 

 

No, encryption does not work against this because it's in the OS itself. If you are worried about Microsoft harvesting your personal information then you should probably not use BitLocker either (Microsoft product, it sends your encryption key to Microsoft by default, closed source and might contain backdoors).

 

 

It's kind of scary how that video was a knee-jerk reaction to caller ID starting to become popular about 9 years ago. But since then we have slowly moved closer and closer to it being a reality.

Sometimes slippery-slope arguments turn out to be true.

 

Realistically, if you need to continue to run Windows, and you're that concerned about your files, you should be encrypting them using an Open Source encryption tool.

 

Normally I would suggest TrueCrypt, but there's still the rumours that it was possibly cracked by the NSA when development was abandoned. There are alternatives, though I'm not sure any that work as well as TrueCrypt did:

https://www.bestvpn.com/blog/10995/6-best-open-source-alternatives-to-truecrypt/

 

A few look quite promising - there are a few good per file/folder encryption tools, and there's a full drive encryption tool, but there doesn't seem to be one that encompasses everything.

[LAwLz]

Realistically, if you need to continue to run Windows, and you're that concerned about your files, you should be encrypting them using an Open Source encryption tool.

 

Normally I would suggest TrueCrypt, but there's still the rumours that it was possibly cracked by the NSA when development was abandoned. There are alternatives, though I'm not sure any that work as well as TrueCrypt did:

https://www.bestvpn.com/blog/10995/6-best-open-source-alternatives-to-truecrypt/

 

A few look quite promising - there are a few good per file/folder encryption tools, and there's a full drive encryption tool, but there doesn't seem to be one that encompasses everything.

Encrypting your drive would protect against someone physically stealing your computer. It won't protect against Microsoft, or Google or whoever is spying on you though since they got access to everything before everything is encrypted and after everything is decrypted.

 

As for encryption tools, I would recommend VeraCrypt if you don't trust Truecrypt anymore. It's a fork of the last Truecrypt build (the Truecrypt audit was recently finished and they did not find any backdoors or serious flaws). VeraCrypt has fixed the issues that were found and has also improved it in other areas. On top of that, they are keeping it open source.

[FratStar]

Not updating doesn't works with automatic updates you can't turn off in the case of 10.

 

If you have Win 10 pro you can change the group policy and enable it. Microsoft has it not configured by default.....Cheeky bastards.

[dalekphalm]

Encrypting your drive would protect against someone physically stealing your computer. It won't protect against Microsoft, or Google or whoever is spying on you though since they got access to everything before everything is encrypted and after everything is decrypted.

 

As for encryption tools, I would recommend VeraCrypt if you don't trust Truecrypt anymore. It's a fork of the last Truecrypt build (the Truecrypt audit was recently finished and they did not find any backdoors or serious flaws). VeraCrypt has fixed the issues that were found and has also improved it in other areas. On top of that, they are keeping it open source.

It would certainly not protect you from anything you put on Gmail, etc, but I still haven't seen any hard evidence that MS is keylogging the system or cataloguing/uploading your user files.

 

Disable Cortana, don't use OneDrive or Google Drive, and I suspect your files would remain quite secure.

[LAwLz]

It would certainly not protect you from anything you put on Gmail, etc, but I still haven't seen any hard evidence that MS is keylogging the system or cataloguing/uploading your user files.

 

Disable Cortana, don't use OneDrive or Google Drive, and I suspect your files would remain quite secure.

I wasn't trying to imply that they do. I was just responding to someone earlier in the thread that asked if encryption like BitLocker would stop Microsoft.

If we assume that they do then using BitLocker would not help. Using TrueCrypt or any other encryption program would not help either since they have access to everything while unencrypted. I guess it would have been easier and clearer to just say that encryption is not a hindrance to Microsoft accessing your files if they want to.

 

 

I haven't seen any evidence of Microsoft keylogging the entire system, but I can show you that every time you type something in the search/run box in the start menu it connects to Microsoft's server and executes a bunch of JavaScripts related to Cortana, even if she is turned off.

It also connects to OneDrive and uploads something (don't know what but it's pretty small, so not entire files) even if you have OneDrive disabled.

[dom1310df]

Good thing I stopped installing windows updates after the stupid "Reserve Windows 10" popup.

[DXMember]

Do we know exactly what kind of data they are handing over?

I doubt they are running it.. Do we have anything to indicate this?

 

Thought for a second we had a true ISIS member on this forum! 

to be honest I have nothing against microsoft collecting the data,

after Facebook and what people wilingly put out in the open about them selves, there is no greater privacy evil than Facebook.

 

but you do have to worry when the data breach will happen, and it will happen sooner or later, take Ashley Maddison for example

[Tomsen]

to be honest I have nothing against microsoft collecting the data,

after Facebook and what people wilingly put out in the open about them selves, there is no greater privacy evil than Facebook.

 

but you do have to worry when the data breach will happen, and it will happen sooner or later, take Ashley Maddison for example

Actually, if the company can keep their internal infrastructure, systems and software up to date, they should be much more secure, even if a breach would occour.

I'm much less concerned that someone like facebook or microsoft would have these kind of breaches.

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

Good thing I stopped installing windows updates after the stupid "Reserve Windows 10" popup.

I wonder if it only started around that time.  They may have started earlier. 

 

Hopefully this weekend I'll have time to install a pre-SP1 Win7 disk on a VM, I want to check out every single update it gives me and single out all the ones that are even the slightest bit suspect.

[dom1310df]

I wonder if it only started around that time.  They may have started earlier. 

 

Hopefully this weekend I'll have time to install a pre-SP1 Win7 disk on a VM, I want to check out every single update it gives me and single out all the ones that are even the slightest bit suspect.

Good idea. I'd be interested to see what you find

[alicskysareblue]

Here is the thought of a busy working man, I care about security but I'm to Damn busy to put a lot of time into as far as I am concerned the Redditch doable telemetry was good enough.

If I had more time I would definitely look into this more but I don't

[Astralify]

I know I'm kinda late for the party, but but looking at all the corporate apologists/trolls I'm gonna quote a line from one of my favorite movies:
 

...most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it...

[Dabombinable]

I know I'm kinda late for the party, but but looking at all the corporate apologists/trolls I'm gonna quote a line from one of my favorite movies:

 

Lol, and here I am, unplugged from Windows (I've still got Windows 7 Home 64 bit and Pro 32 bit installed and non-activated on my folding rigs with the bare minimum of drivers and updates disabled):

[Admiral Naismith]

Lol, and here I am, unplugged from Windows (I've still got Windows 7 Home 64 bit and Pro 32 bit installed and non-activated on my folding rigs with the bare minimum of drivers and updates disabled):

 

You WarGaming pleb, join the WarThunder masterrace!

 

Seriously though, what updates should I block, or do I not have a choice in the matter other than to go linux?

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

Seriously though, what updates should I block, or do I not have a choice in the matter other than to go linux?

For now (just copy-pasting from other sources, I have a VM set up and am setting aside a day this weekend to look at all Win7's non-security updates myself) :

KB2952664 : Win10 preparation, sends telemetry data to MS, is reported to corrupt system files

KB2977759 : RTM only - installs telemetry, officially claimed to be preparing system for Win10

KB3022345 : installs Diagnostics Tracking Service, is also reported to corrupt system files

KB3068708 : Installs telemetry

KB3015249 : more telemetry

KB3075249 : more telemetry

KB3080149 : more telemetry

[Nowak]

I know I'm kinda late for the party, but but looking at all the corporate apologists/trolls I'm gonna quote a line from one of my favorite movies:

 

Sooooo people who are on the other side of the issue are now corporate apologists or trolls? Please.

 

I'm still waiting for my check from Microsoft, btw.

[Dabombinable]

You WarGaming pleb, join the WarThunder masterrace!

 

Seriously though, what updates should I block, or do I not have a choice in the matter other than to go linux?

Lol, I play Warthunder as well-look at the side above Minecraft. And I think the updates were listed further back.

[Astralify]

Sooooo people who are on the other side of the issue are now corporate apologists or trolls? Please.

 

I'm still waiting for my check from Microsoft, btw.

If people are trying to defend bad corporate practices and decisions and trash on legitimate concerns about something very important as privacy, especially in this day and age, I'm sorry but that's troll-behavior in my eyes.