Hacks at German wire Heise revealed that Microsoft’s updated Windows Genuine Advantage Notification phones home when the installation is aborted. The user is not notified of the communication, but Microsoft claims it is useful for it to know when an installation is cancelled.
Using network sniffer Wireshark the hacks say they also detected the software logging those not signing up to Windows update. It says data transmitted may contain enough information to identify individual computers. Microsoft told Heise it collected the data to improve the quality of the WGA for users. Read More»
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ARLINGTON, Va.–Simply booting up a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop can tell people sniffing wireless network traffic a lot about your computer and about you. Soon after a computer powers up, it starts looking for wireless networks and network services. Even if the wireless hardware is then shut-off, a snoop may already have caught interesting data.
Much more information can be plucked out of the air if the computer is connected to an access point, in particular an access point without security. “You’re leaking all kinds of information that an attacker can use,” David Maynor, chief technology officer at Errata Security, said Thursday in a presentation at the Black Hat DC event here. “If the government was taking this information from you, people would be up in arms. Yet you’re leaking this voluntarily using your laptop at the airport.” Read More»
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