Re: Windows 95 Espionage ( ?? )

[peters () oes amdahl com (Peter Sivo)]

Yes, I heard this also.

There was a short letter to Information Week from Microsoft
this last week.  I have retyped it:

  Wizard Of Ours

  A recent item does not accurately reflect the purpose and operation of
  the Registration Sizard in Windows 95 ("Thwarting 'Softlifters,'" May 22,
  p.88).

  The purpose of the "Wizard" is to offer an electronic version of the paper-based
  registration card that comes with all Microsoft products.  The user must
  voluntarily choose to provide the information, otherwise it does not get sent.
  There are many benefits to customers who provide such details.  But in the end,
  sending it is optional and a conscious decision by the end user.

       Yusuf Mehdi
       Product Manager, Win95
       Microsoft
       REdmond, Wash.

For what its worth.


Peter Sivo
Systems & Network Administration
Amdahl/Open Enterprise Systems
peters () oes amdahl com


> From owner-bugtraq () CRIMELAB COM Tue Jun  6 10:59 PDT 1995
> Approved-By: CHASIN () CRIMELAB COM
> Approved-By:  Bernd Lehle <Bernd.Lehle () RUS UNI-STUTTGART DE>
> Date:         Tue, 6 Jun 1995 10:26:08 +0200
> Reply-To: Bugtraq List <BUGTRAQ () CRIMELAB COM>
> Sender: Bugtraq List <BUGTRAQ () CRIMELAB COM>
> From: Bernd Lehle <Bernd.Lehle () RUS Uni-Stuttgart DE>
> Subject:      Windows 95 Espionage ( ?? )
> X-To:         BUGTRAQ () CRIMELAB COM
> To: Multiple recipients of list BUGTRAQ <BUGTRAQ () CRIMELAB COM>
> Content-Type: text
> Content-Length: 1957
>
> 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
> > >  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.
> > >  An update on this. A friend of mine got hold 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.
>
>
> --
> >   Bernd Lehle alias Wolfskin - Born to be wild   *  A supercomputer    <
> >  Stuttgart University Computing Center Helpdesk  *  is a machine that  <
> >       e-mail: lehle () rus uni-stuttgart de         *  runs an endless    <
> >  Tel:+49-711-685-4828, private: +49-711-8790103  *  loop in 2 seconds. <