Bugtraq mailing list archives
Re: Windows 95 Espionage ( ?? )
From: ylo () cs hut fi (Tatu Ylonen)
Date: Tue, 6 Jun 1995 19:53:35 +0300
Bernd Lehle <Bernd.Lehle () rus uni-stuttgart de> writes:
Can anybody confirm this ? A little late for April Fool's Day... :-)Microsoft officials confirm that beta versions of Windows 95 include a small viral routine called Registration Wizard. It interrogates every
The following article was forwarded to me some time ago. Apparently it not only collects information on software you have installed, it also sends your entire directory hierarchy to Microsoft. God knows what else. If any of this happens at our company, we will sue Microsoft for industrial espionage. Tatu Ylonen <ylo () cs hut fi> From: pah4 () ukc ac uk (P.A.Harding) Subject: Win'95 : What they don't tell you :) Get this.... - ---- Newsgroups: comp.risks From: cnorloff () tecnet1 jcte jcs mil Date: Wed, 17 May 95 13:44:40 EDT Microsoft officials confirm that beta versions of Windows 95 include a small viral routine called Registration Wizard. It interrogates every system on a network gathering intelligence on what software is being run on which machine. It then creates a complete listing of both Microsoft's and competitors' products by machine, which it reports to Microsoft when customers sign up for Microsoft's Network Services, due for launch later this year. "In Short" column, page 88, _Information Week_ magazine, May 22, 1995 The implications of this action, and the attitude of Microsoft to plan such action, beggars the imagination. Chris Norloff cnorloff () tecnet1 jcte jcs mil - ----- An update on this. A friend of mine got hold of a copy of the beta test CD of Win95, and set up a packet sniffer between his serial port and the modem. When you try out the free demo time on The Microsoft Network, it transmits your entire directory structure in background. This means that they have a list of every directory (and, potentially every file) on your machine. It would not be difficult to have something like a FileRequest from your system to theirs, without you knowing about it. This way they could get ahold of any juicy routines you've written yourself and claim them as their own if you don't have them copyrighted. Needless to say, I'm rather annoyed about this. So spread the word as far and wide as possible: Steer clear of Windows 95. There's nothing to say that this "feature" will be removed in the final release. - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't say I didn't warn you. :) Paul
Current thread:
- Re: login can be used to hide from finger under SunOS 4.13u1 Michael J. Covington (Jun 02)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: login can be used to hide from finger under SunOS 4.13u1 Paul (Jun 03)
- Windows 95 Espionage ( ?? ) Bernd Lehle (Jun 06)
- Re: Windows 95 Espionage ( ?? ) Tatu Ylonen (Jun 06)
- Windows 95 Espionage ( ?? ) George Mullins (Jun 06)
- Re: Windows 95 Espionage ( ?? ) Christopher D. Heer (Jun 07)
- Bugtraq stalled Scott Chasin (Jun 28)
- ANNOUNCE: Freely available TTY monitoring/control program Mike Neuman (Jun 28)
- Windows 95 Espionage ( ?? ) Bernd Lehle (Jun 06)
- Re: login can be used to hide from finger under SunOS 4.13u1 Colin Jenkins (Jun 06)