Windows 10 - Not Trust Worthy

[meaty-btz]

Real quick. Windows 10 is spyware unless you take manual action.

In fact mine upgrade w/o my consent. I was in the middle of typing and I had rescheduled for 2 days from now and suddenly it decided that now was the time for the upgrade. If the endless 3x or more a day spamming of the upgrade notice wasn't revealing enough. Well.. moving on.

10 is whatever, a newer kernel and OS. BFD. What is a big deal is the spyware settings. It is a multi-step process to turn them all off.

1- on upgrade use the tiny custom settings option to the left, buried under a wall of text that does not even look like a button or link (starting to see a trend here?).

2- Turn off EVERYTHING you can and turn off the app selection. Eclipse is spyware as well so don't use it, same goes for the other apps listed as "default".

3- After install, the fun continues. Turn off Cortana. Go into the settings for the desktop search and turn off news feeds and cortana (again) and search web and share web local data with the web...

4- Go into the privacy settings and go through all 10 pages turning off EVERYTHING. For the MS experience set it to basic.

I am pretty sure I've missed something but will figure it out later.

Right now MS is desperate. Windows 8 was a complete failure. It has a smaller install base than the vestigial active XP base. Also the spyware nature of 10 is roaring about the webway and folks are taking notice. I am predicting windows 10 will be another failure as 8 was. People don't like spyware. All the crafty, misleading, naming and sneaky hiding of features that spy and share and give data that can be sold are pissing people off.

They could have done a 7 styled system with an updated look and new kernel. Instead they opted for SpywareLand. One will note that people still upgrade OS-X even though it always looks the same and is little more than kernel updates. If the install base is any clue, people want windows 7.

[pc_load_letter]

This whole "MS is spying on you" is tiresome.

Run linux then, or roll back your install to 7. Done.

I don't pirate, download porn or do anything else sketchy so I really don't give a damn.

We lost our privacy years ago. You don't think your ISP has boatloads of info they could hand over to the .gov if they asked?

Personally, I think it's a perfectly fine OS. Runs great on old hardware, has some nice features and Edge is pretty slick. No issues on two clean installs and two in-place upgrades.

[gogohopper]

yup, calguns.


Thanks for the info >> OP

[meaty-btz]

This whole "MS is spying on you" is tiresome.

Run linux then, or roll back your install to 7. Done.

I don't pirate, download porn or do anything else sketchy so I really don't give a damn.

We lost our privacy years ago. You don't think your ISP has boatloads of info they could hand over to the .gov if they asked?

Personally, I think it's a perfectly fine OS. Runs great on old hardware, has some nice features and Edge is pretty slick. No issues on two clean installs and two in-place upgrades.

*sigh*
No this is radically different. In this case we are talking about full access to your personal files and scans there of being used to generate personal advertisements. Have files that are passwords? How about letting a friend log on to your home wireless while he visits you and having access to your wifi be given to his entire friends list.

In the end the largest issue is all of the features combined are an enormous security hole. THAT is the largest problem. The more network entrypoints the more likely that entry will be forced by a non-microsoft party.

As someone who was involved in large network security this is a huge issue and not the small old hat thing you portray it as.

Yes, 10's kernel is superior to 8's. But it is a massive security cluster frak and that is a serious issue.

Personal information on this level has never been "this out in the open" before. There has been quite a margin of privacy in your personal PC unless you, the end user, install or allow 3rd party applications or sites access.

So, sorry, your entire post is hand wavy Bull-crap and dangerous dismissivsm.

Government access is largely a different animal than access by criminals. Also, as with most tech savy people, I actually do control my privacy and information spread on the internet. So no, my privacy has not been violated to any extent yet. As with most tech savvy people, I turned off all the features that were "risky". Which is what everyone should do. The issue comes when grandma or the non-savvy are exposed to information theft, hacking, and other malfeasance on a grand scale by BUILT IN FEATURES.

I am certain that by your post you wouldn't mind sharing your wi-fi with a pedo.. right? After all thanks to MS it is likely SOMEONE criminal has access to your wireless. Still so blase?

[NytWolf]

Wow, OP, serious? LOL

I just checked the privacy settings and there's only one thing I can say -- you're worried over that??? Paranoid much?

[SonofWWIIDI]

This whole "MS is spying on you" is tiresome.

Run linux then, or roll back your install to 7. Done.

I don't pirate, download porn or do anything else sketchy so I really don't give a damn.

We lost our privacy years ago. You don't think your ISP has boatloads of info they could hand over to the .gov if they asked?

Personally, I think it's a perfectly fine OS. Runs great on old hardware, has some nice features and Edge is pretty slick. No issues on two clean installs and two in-place upgrades.

So porn and gun links. (I know you say you don't surf porn).

[pc_load_letter]

Well, it's been largely shown that wifisense is NOT the security "hole" that everyone has made it out to be.

Krebs even had to backtrack on the whole "it's on by default" claim.

And being involved in security for a large network, ooooohhhhh, you know then that some of these features can be turned off via group policies. Or make custom OS images.

And if you're really anal, just block everything outbound at the firewall.

And if you have users who byod, then relegate them to a DMZ or make sure they have device control, application control and data leakage mechanisms in place.

Nah, the fearmongering\FUD is at cataclysmic levels on this one and despite it all, it will be adopted by millions. Sure, there will be vulnerabilities but with internal patch management, you should be fine.

And we've been testing Windows Hello with some devices here and it's been working really well.

[ocabj]

*sigh*
No this is radically different. In this case we are talking about full access to your personal files and scans there of being used to generate personal advertisements. Have files that are passwords? How about letting a friend log on to your home wireless while he visits you and having access to your wifi be given to his entire friends list.

In the end the largest issue is all of the features combined are an enormous security hole. THAT is the largest problem. The more network entrypoints the more likely that entry will be forced by a non-microsoft party.

As someone who was involved in large network security this is a huge issue and not the small old hat thing you portray it as.

Wifi Sense mitigation = 802.1x

[Marauder2003]

The approach is wrong. Why should I change my SSID to protect myself?

[ocabj]

Don't change your SSID. Change your authentication protocol.

[Wrangler John]

Windows - what an operating system becomes without competition. We all have become like precious metal to mine for data and profits.

Just for fun, I decided to try Linux, I'm using it now to post this. Might be a higher learning curve compared to Windows, but it isn't MS. Running HideMyAss VPN with the PPTP and plan on using it exclusively for browsing, email and basic office work. Faster than any Windows version I have from Windows 95 through 7. Windows 10 can languish unused. Maybe something better will come along before I croak, but so far XP and 7 are still churning away.

[Zorba]

I will say that Windows 10 has a bunch of consumer-oriented tablet-like crapware that needs to be turned off, uninstalled, and/or ignored. So turn it off, get rid of it, and carry on.

[NytWolf]

I will say that Windows 10 has a bunch of consumer-oriented tablet-like crapware that needs to be turned off, uninstalled, and/or ignored. So turn it off, get rid of it, and carry on.

Then I will say you don't know what you're talking about. They did away with the "tablet" side of the OS.

[luvnlife916]

I upgraded to Windows 10 and I lost all of my Favorites. Anyone know how to get them back?

[Jimi Jah]

I avoided it as most of my older audio devices have no win 10 drivers available. It will give you hell with older software.

Why are there no anti-trust lawsuits against MS? A monopoly is supposd to be illegal.