Has Bill Gates gone to far??

Zardon

Something caught my eye recently on the internet ... The Ms security patch EULA apparently gives MS "admin privileges" on your rig.

"You agree that in order to protect the integrity of content and software protected by digital rights management ('Secure Content'), Microsoft may provide security related updates to the OS Components that will be automatically downloaded onto your computer. These security related updates may disable your ability to copy and/or play Secure Content and use other software on your computer. If we provide such a security update, we will use reasonable efforts to post notices on a web site explaining the update."

Microsoft has just assumed the right to attack your computer and surreptitiously install code of its choosing. You will not be warned; you will not be offered an opportunity examine the download or refuse it. MS will simply connect remotely and install what it will, or install it secretly when you contact them.

This means MS will have administrator privileges on your personal computer. What they feed you may be infected with viruses; it may break your applications, corrupt data files, destroy weeks or months or even years of work, but you'll have no recourse if it does. By downloading this WMP critical security patch, which you must do to operate WMP safely, you'll agree to give Billg deed and title to your personal property and to leave Microsoft immune from legal retaliation if they damage your machine. The pusillanimity of wrapping what amounts to a digital land-grant into a needed, critical security patch is matched only by the arrogance of assuming that Windows is now such a fundamental linchpin of a human life worth living that no retaliation in the courts or at the retail counters is conceivable. (And that's not to mention 'informal' retaliation by outraged IP warriors, which we fully expect to see.)

We've heard the Billg rubbish about Trustworthy Computing until we're sick to death of the trivial incantation. Ironically, Microsoft has just taken steps to make the Internet immensely more untrustworthy than it already is. When we know that arbitrary code will be secretely installed on our connected boxes by software vendors who are not accountable for the damage they may do, any issue of trust is obliterated.

article sourced from various newsites, including theregister

Trunks0

Old Billy Goat Gates is always going to far.........I say it's about time he make a goat sacrifice to god don't you think? people used to do it all the time..........

__________________

mjswooosh

You certainly piqued my interest with this post. I'm wondering how, exactly, would it ever be legal for MS to give themselves autonomous and unauthorized access to millions of people's PCs? Isn't there some kind of legislation in place on a state or federal level to stop this type of invasion of privacy? Or are we talking about a "simple" matter of people signing away their right to privacy when they "sign" the EULA by installing WinXP? I find it interesting that Billy has taken it upon himself to essentially re-write the lawbooks on contract law by simply including more and more BS in his EULAs. The current hierarchy of lawmakers seem clueless and oblivious to it. This type of "Big Brother" stuff is pretty scary to me. Does anyone have any ideas how we might be able to get a grass-roots type of opposition going against this kind of "feature" before it is implemented? I'm in the Northwest, so I have a relatively close proximity to Redmond as well as the politicians who suck up to us for our votes in this region. I'm wondering if there would be a way to make them aware of this type of malicious code and get some action against it going before it's too late?

__________________
"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." Elie Wiesel

Chahuahua

Aren't there already laws on the books that would prohibit this type of intrusion?
I sure hope hope they are.

Always wondered what it would take for Linux or some other operating system to gain widespread support. Microsoft is one step away from going too far.

__________________
Quality isn't expensive ... Its priceless

edperks

This is going to far, but wouldnt a good firewall keep them at bay!

digitalwanderer

No one, and I mean no one gets root privs on my boxes but me!

I don't give a flying f-ck what Billy-boy wants/thinks he can get/says we need for proper security, I will choose a different OS for my boxes before I give m$ any form of unrestricted access to my 'puters!

This one scares the hell out of me, but I think it's gonna end up being another case of "too much, too soon". Bill thinks he's just gonna slide this one in, but too many people know just how drastict a change it is to let it slip in quietly.

I don't hate windows any more, but sh-t like this still keeps my blood boiling at m$ corporate!

__________________
WTF is up with the sigs?

AlternateVirus

umm firewall anybody?

digitalwanderer

...more like a FLAMEwall of fire & brimstone burning hotter than magnesium in an oxygen atmosphere! (No offense intended, but the term "firewall" just seems inadequate to cover the security level of what I'll be using to protect against this crap!)

__________________
WTF is up with the sigs?

MHzTweaker

So in other words, a person who has kept their box "updated" has already given out free reign to M$?

Any links to these articles?

Wondering if anyone knows specifics of what has been done and is there a way to block outside access or insulate an XP machine from such snooping?

Using Sygate Firewall Pro which catches lots of attempts to report back to the mothership. I'm just wondering about the stuff it is not catching.

Remember the 80's when Big Blue was the evil empire and M$ was the underdog? How things have changed.

Desert_Siege

That really sucks. I would hate to think that someone is rooting around looking for whatever they can find and then phoning home with the info. That is truly pathetic. I was running without a software firewall in place, but that is going to change.

ToshiroOC

my $0.02 on this is that i think that microsoft basically is trying to get a good legal basis for later forced updates when palladium comes out. once they do this they can come out after the longhorn release and say "hey, y'all have been ok with this for the past 2-3 years, so you can't complain now!", leaving us in the dust and utterly screwed while they constantly flood us with palladium/tcpa updates keeping that last badly-rigged hack of ours non-functional while they demand $$$ for our law-given right to free use with our media (at least in USA, dunno where lots of y'all are from) and eventually make what seems like an uncrackable system - the governing chip is going to eventually be integrated into the cpu and then short of a FIB mod* no-one will be able to have full control of their computer again... so what this means is that unless we get the whole palladium thing stopped, and stopped now we will be *!#@ed for the rest of computing history... any good ideas?

toshirooc

__________________
[img][/img]
[color=White]Peace be with you, Joe.[/color]
Driverheaven Staff Member (Supermoderator)

kbleft

The terms of this EULA are unenforceable legally. In fact, if Bill G installs code that damages your computer without your express permission (ie, click OK), he will be legally liable for those damages. This is true regardless of the EULA language.

Bill G will be liable for the damage because under contract law, the terms of a contract of adhesion (such as a credit card application or the standard EULA, both of which you cannot refuse in everyday life) must be "reasonable". In other words, if the terms of such a license agreement are so unreasonable, or the results are so shocking to the conscience, that a reasonable person would refuse to accept such terms, then a court of law will not enforce those terms against the end user. The terms will be interpreted strictly against the licenser, and the court will use every equitable principle at its disposal to compensate a victim.


Those terms are really just there so MS lawyers can badger the victim if he decides to sue. "We are so powerful that we made you accept the inevitable damage. You cannot sue! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

It won't stand up.

MHzTweaker

Hi all

I've been thinking about something this eve and just wanted to see what others thought. I'm not one for conspiracy theories but this makes some sense.

Suppose: All these leaked Sevice packs somehow report info back to the mothership on what people have in their box. M$ uses this info in the RTM build to basically disable all questionable systems. Could it happen? I wish I knew.

It seems like a constant battle just to keep from getting virus or trojan infected and personal information from getting out of the box. I'm sure M$ has the power to go through any software firewall that could be made if they inc. their routines deep enough in the OS.

Any thoughts?

MHz Tweaker

Crash Override

I read what that article says a little bit different

to me it talks about automatic updates

XP by default does do automatic updates so that most likely is what they mean

you can change that in xp rather easily

plus you can tell when your net connection is being use if you have cable or dsl

thats what he indicator lights are for

UberLord

Blocking the port required by auto-update will probably be in breach of the EULA - meaning ur gonna get a pack of M$ lawyers barking up ur tree.

Two words to solve this nightmare

GO LINUX!

__________________
Gentoo Linux - Developer (baselayout)
Read my blog

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."
Stephen Roberts

OnDborder

So is this just in the xp version of windoze??

__________________
"I was so insane with wanting to get even, I willingly believed anything"
“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”





Asus P5B-deluxe/6400/wc
2gigZ Crucial 6400
Evga8800gtx
X-Fi Elite Pro
150gb Raptor/WDsata250
Silverstone 750

AlternateVirus

are you serious? wtf that real stupid and illegal. i mean we should be in control wha is going out and wha is going in.

PhoeniX

"Has Bill Gates gone to far??"

I believe that we have seen nothing yet!
MS has crossed the limits looooong ago and they will not stop...
Is there another way to stop them except stop using their OS?
Is this the time that we should consider trying another non MS OS?
I already started using Linux... still trying to find my way...

dvsOasis

anyone know how to uninstall the update or remove it? If i delete WMP, will it go away? Or was it something that patched XP itself?

DallasStar

You guys are taking this too seriously. Want a solution? I have one. Go to:

Control Panel --> Administrative Tools --> Services

Find the following:
"Automatic Updates"
"Background Intelligent Transfer Service"
"Error Reporting Service"
"Remote Desktop Help Session Manager"
"Remote Registry"
"Telnet"
"WebClient"


For all of these, do the following:

Right Click. Go to Properties. Change the dropdown list to "Disable".

(If these cause undesireable results, then re-enable them....they shouldn't cause any problems because all you're doing by disabling these is denying microsoft or anyone else access to your computer)


Now be happy

__________________
"A picture of my existence... would show a useless wooden stake covered in snow... stuck loosely at a slant in the ground in a ploughed field on the edge of a vast open plain on a dark winter night." --- Franz Kafka

edperks

dallasstar ,

If I stop WebClient will folding at home still work! just curiuos!!

DallasStar

yes.

I made sure to list only the completely useless services.

__________________
"A picture of my existence... would show a useless wooden stake covered in snow... stuck loosely at a slant in the ground in a ploughed field on the edge of a vast open plain on a dark winter night." --- Franz Kafka

edperks

Thanks DUDE!

Shaith

That's not what it's referring to, chief.

This specifically deals with Windows Media Player and the Digital Rights Management. Microsoft asserts that they have the right to require you to accept certain updates in order to continue utilizing WMP for secure content, and that these updates can deliberately break software intended to circumvent the DRM used in it. The scope is specifically narrow, and deals only with WMP and not the operating system as a whole. The concern, however, is that they could release a required update that would "break" other competing media player products, such as RealOne, etc., particularly software that is designed to play Windows Media files. They justify this thanks to the DMCA.

What's it all mean? It means if you don't play secure Windows Media content, don't worry about it. If you do, this may or may not affect you.

jacckk

My e-mail is -pollepollesen202@msn.com -

DallasStar

My post had nothing to do with stopping Microsoft from requiring people to do something to see a movie. My post was simply intended to help people in disallowing Microsoft from having administrative privelages on people's PCs unless they somehow get hacked or they decide to download some spyware infected update.

__________________
"A picture of my existence... would show a useless wooden stake covered in snow... stuck loosely at a slant in the ground in a ploughed field on the edge of a vast open plain on a dark winter night." --- Franz Kafka

Shaith

Add to your list these useless services:

HID access - only need if you have predefined hotkeys on keyboards, remotes, etc.

Portable Media Serial - useless if you don't have a portable MP3 player.

Routing and Remote Access Service - Are you running ICS or dialin? If not, turn it off. Also required for Remote Desktop.

SSDP Discovery - Have any UPnP devices? Most of you don't. Turn it off.

Universal PNP Device Host - Same thing - don't have, turn off.

Wireless Zero Configuration - Unless you're running a moronic implementation of 802.11, turn this off.

Windows Time - if you aren't polling a remote time server to update your clock, you don't need this. FYI: there are public servers to get this from that aren't affiliated with M$. I suggest tick.usno.navy.mil, tock.usno.navy.mil, or time.nist.gov as good sources.

Terminal Services - if you're the only one on your computer, disable fast user switching, and turn this off. This will break Remote Desktop too.

Themes - if you aren't using themes anyway, turn this off.

Messenger - unless you use "net send" you probably don't need this. Turn it off.

Event log - leave this ALONE - if you ever have a problem, the logs can save yer arse.

Alerter - sends admin alerts. Only computer? Try turning this off.

Should free up some memory and resources.

Shaith

That topic has been covered in depth - this isn't a warez distribution site or a key center. Try searching on astalavista.box.sk or head for your local WalMart...they have keys there, too.

Wino

All you have to do is turn off Automatic Updates, and uninstall the last Windows Media Player Update. That was the one that included all that crap in the EULA.txt

Shawn319

Very nice page on WinXP Services: http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

btw, start->Run-> "services.msc" is an easy way to get to the services panel.