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If you have been refusing Microsoft's offer to upgrade your Windows 7 or 8* operating system to Windows 10 due to the oft-reported data and telemetry slurping it seems inclined to do, then it is time to be on your toes as to which updates you allow to be installed on your earlier version of the operating system.
El Reg reports that Microsoft are busy pushing similar functionality to those older operating systems by way of Windows Update. The updates in question can apparently be rolled back if required.
They are however very determined in their function if allowed to be installed, going so far as to ignore such venerable solutions as additions to the HOSTS file, which has historically been a way to knobble phone-home behaviour:
Now Microsoft is revamping the user-tracking tools in Windows 7 and 8 to harvest more data, via some new patches.
All the updates can be removed post-installation – but all ensure the OS reports data to Microsoft even when asked not to, bypassing the hosts file and (hence) third-party privacy tools. This data can include how long you use apps, and which features you use the most, snapshots of memory to investigate crashes, and so on.
The updates are KB3068708 ("Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry" and mandatory) KB3075249 ("Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7") and KB3080149 (also an "Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry", both optional).
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @12:36PM
Some descriptions for the KBs
KB2505438 - Slow performance in applications that use the DirectWrite API on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
KB2670838 – Windows 7 Only (breaks AERO functionality and gives you blurry fonts on some websites)
KB2952664 - Compatibility update for upgrading Windows 7
KB2976978 – Windows 8 only - Compatibility update for Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
KB3021917 - Update to Windows 7 SP1 for performance improvements
KB3035583 - Update installs Get Windows 10 app in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1
KB3075249 - Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7
(Score: 3, Informative) by martyb on Wednesday September 02 2015, @01:15PM
Disclaimer; I have not actually tried these, but it came up near the top of a search I did for the terms: wusa uninstall KB3068708 KB3080149 KB3075249
I'm wary of running commands found on the internet; can anyone confirm/deny the 16 listed KBs?
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @01:32PM
My list looks like:
[Taken from an earlier post on Windows 10/8.1/8/7 privacy ] ---> https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=15/08/26/1148248&from=rss [soylentnews.org]
====================================================================================
Obligatory list of updates to remove:
KB2652664 Compatibility update for upgrading Windows 7
KB2976978 Compatibility update for Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
KB3080149 Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
KB3068708 Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
KB3022345 Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
KB2952664 Compatibility update for upgrading Windows 7
KB2990214 Update that enables you to upgrade from Windows 7 to a later version of Windows
KB3035583 Update installs Get Windows 10 app in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1
KB971033 Description of the update for Windows Activation Technologies
KB3021917 Update to Windows 7 SP1 for performance improvements
KB3044374 Update that enables you to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to a later version of Windows
KB3075249 Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7
Services (commands):
sc stop Diagtrack
sc delete Diagtrack
sc stop RemoteRegistry
sc config RemoteRegistry start= disabled
Task Scheduler Library (things to disable):
Everything under "Application Experience"
Everything under "Autochk"
Everything under "Customer Experience Improvement Program"
Everything under "Media Center"
"Disk Diagnostic" -> "Microsoft-Windows-DiskDiagnosticDataCollector"
"Maintenance" -> "WinSAT"
=====================================================================================
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Hyperturtle on Wednesday September 02 2015, @03:05PM
My anonymous friend,
It seems that you will need to repeat the posting of this data regularly. I fear that without regular promotion, the lack of uproar that people wonder about... seems to be adequately explained somehow by your needing to repost this regularly.
I would like to see SN take a poll to ask how many people had done the following:
Windows Updates relating to privacy. Have you, at work or at home, done the following:
Disabled all updates regarding perceived privacy violation or telemetry
Chose not to install one in particular
Chose not to install more than one in particular
Chose not to install any KBs that seemed remotely threatening
Chose to do what the security experts told me to do (press next to continue)
I have Windows 10, you insensitive clod, and I cannot make any decisions regarding updates but at least I know I am secure!
I don't run Windows, you insensitive clod, I run a superior alternative-- called SystemD!
And a HyperBuzzardOneal option like:
I don't use a computer, you ignorant clod, I use a tablet, so none of this privacy stuff even applies to me!
People can elaborate on the why they did what they did n the comments.
That may help demonstrate how effective the spread of such information like this (which requires manual user action) actually is when it comes to users choosing to make an informed decision and then actually acting on it through effort made on their own.
There is sadly no security wizard. And if there was, I probably wouldn't trust him.
(Score: 3, Funny) by OrugTor on Wednesday September 02 2015, @04:13PM
I need one more option: Windows Updates permanently off.
I can't believe people take the risk of updates on a home computer. Mind you, that's easy for me to say, I'm on XP.
(Score: 2) by Hyperturtle on Wednesday September 02 2015, @05:38PM
I think "superior OS" would fall under XP's umbrella, but I approve of your addition.
Sure, XP doesn't have aero or direct x beyond 9c... that probably is a deal breaker for most. Superior being subjective if the graphics aren't as good. Once my norton AV expired in like 2012 or so, the machines have been very fast. Then again, I don't need much for documentation, telnet and ssh...
I too have a few XP machines in my control; they need nothing more added to them to continue doing what they've been used for. I guess someone could find a way to infect them, but most modern web stuff isn't made for them... and doesn't run right on them (noscript sort of helps in that regard). I even virtualized a few of them, to prepare for the inevitable for when I don't want to replace the hardware or can't find replacement hardware.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Thursday September 03 2015, @12:46AM
I have never installed any updates on my Windows XP system, and just to make sure, I took the hard drive out of the computer and replaced it with one that contains devuan linux. No update is going to get at my Windows on a shelf.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Jiro on Thursday September 03 2015, @01:15AM
2652664 is not a real one, it's a typo for 2952664, which you also list. And it still needs 2977759 added to the list.
Furthermore, I mentioned this in my reply to the post that you just copied!