Microsoft's antipiracy tool phones home daily

Quote:

The tool, called Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications, is designed to validate whether a copy of Windows has been legitimately acquired. However, it also checks in with Microsoft on a daily basis, the company confirmed Wednesday.

http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-6081286.html?part=rss&tag=6081286&subj=news

 

Hello,
So, my constant nagging them finally bears some fruit.
But this is the last dime I will ever spend on MS products.
Never again. I'm no criminal to have a legitimate trojan phoning home out of my computer. That's what "Always Deny" function in the firewall is for.
Mrk

 

What dose it show up as in the logs? Useing ZA here and I do not see WGA listed or making attempts to exit.

 

Might be using "generic host process"

Don't really know as I use that "other" way to update windows.

 

Hello,
This piece of "legit" crap:
Runs in the background without the process showing at all.
Cannot be uninstalled.
Has a dll that injects the process every 30 sec or so in case you delete something.
Tries to phone home once a day or so using port 80.
I wrote about this almost a month ago and no one seemed to care.
I even contacted Microsoft. I'm waiting for their official response, as I have 6 licences.
I will be satisfied if they release a new version that does not install itself on legit pcs or if they provide me with a unique uninstaller. If not, boot cd and then surgical removal are always an option.
What's certain is that Big Brother won't own me...
Mrk

 

You are right, it is just a junk. Those, who use illegal version of Windows will get rid of it anyway and those, who have legal have to have running it in systray forever?!

 

Hello,
It does not show in systray, that's the beauty.
I'm having a phone call with MS almost daily. They have yet to give me a satisfying answer.
Mrk

 

There is a tool to remove it now.

Click here.

 

Any idea what address it uses Mrk. on port 80, I have tried watching
Curr Ports but don't manage to catch the phone home.

It shows as 16 on HJT and I was going to ask HJT to delete it but

reading on A.C.F says I won't be able to D\L any updates.

TIA,

Kind Regards.

 

Hello,
This tool does not show up as 016 - that's the Validation Tool which you must always pass to be able to download updates.
WGA Notification Tool is the one that gets installed and it shows up under 020 Winlogon Notify. Mind, two different things.
It phones home to go.microsoft, stat.microsoft etc.
Mrk

 

Thanks again Mrk., I was misunderstanding the diff.

Kind Regards.

 

If you go to the link I posted, it will get rid of it.

 

Their antipiracy tool seems unneeded on most computers, assuming that most have genuine versions of windows. Anyway, we don't know what kind of information Microsoft collects, personally identifiable or not seems to be the big question.
This tool's only for those who use pirated copies of windows.

 

I would say this tool is written with the legitimate user in mind.
Anybody with a pirated version of windows isn't going to install this.
The data, if any, that is collected will be collected from the legit users.

This is just spyware and should be treated as such, you can't remove it in a 'normal' way, you don't have any control over what it might send out.

If coolwebsearch pulls a stunt like this, and they do of course, then everybody is screaming trojan, spyware and such, so i hope it will be in the definitions of the well known AV/AT-software.

Lamehand

 

Hello,
There is a good side to WGA.
It helped so many people decide NOT to try Vista ever.
Mrk

 

Isn't this odd? Microsoft is 'special'. Really. I thought they also had a section dedicated to fighting spyware/malware, eg windows defender, malicious software removal tool. LOL. They fight spyware and they also make spyware. Weird.

 

You can make money in several ways as a software-company and collecting our personal information seems one of the methods of generating cash these days.
Yes, your personal identifiable information has become a commodity.

Lamehand

 

Hello,
Well if Aluria and Claria can participate on the anti-spyware board, then everything is possible.
Mrk

 

It seems that their profits are of higher priority to them than their customers' concerns.
They're just working for the money only.

 

Hello,
Here's my prophecy and Wilders' posters be my witnesses:
In 10 years time, Google will overcome Microsoft with their OS. And Linux will fare also quite high. People are by nature suckers, by they will suck only so much.
Mrk

 

nadirah

It wasn't so long ago that you where sounding really pleased with getting your PC with XP on it, what's happened to change your mind ?


StevieO

 

Well, that's not really surprising by Microsoft's standards, is it?

 

Has anyone used this uninstall tool yet?? and how did you fair?

 

If anybody wants to see what is going out in WGA and to where try using Comodo Personal firewall. As i was quite suprised to see block allow entries on boot up to WGA applications wanting to give out info to cetain ip addresses.

I blocked them but i dont know what that means, if it will stop windows updates.

 

Anthony, can you give us those IP's where it tried to send to?
I don't have this notifier installed in XP.

Lamehand