Technical Tidbits™

Posts Tagged ‘malicious software removal tool’

Just when you thought it was safe to compute….PATCH TUESDAY! (Now playing at pc’s every where!)

Do you like my dramatic announcement? I should put some scary music to it – ya think?

Seriously though, so far, it’s only one (1) critical update and one (1) important update coming. Unless of course, they have to revise again. (No, Microsoft wouldn’t do that! Laughing hysterically)

But again, seriously – (I’m really in a mood today, aren’t I?) – the updates will affect Windows (virtually all installations) and Office software.

The update is affecting the Microsoft XML core. Wonder what’s wrong with it this time? Just a mention of yet another remote code execution vulnerability. Imagine that.

And, oh goodie! They issued another Malicious Software Removal Tool that I can deny again! I so look forward to those. NOT!

I’m going to make sure that the XML core update can be removed before I allow it to install and I’m going to check for known issues when this is released. In short, I’m going to wait a few days before installing. I vaguely remember having problems with a previous XML update.

So, there’s your “heads up” for Patch Tuesday.

Technical Info
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-Nov.mspx

Yesterdays Microsoft Partner e-mail grabbed my attention as soon as it appeared in my inbox. There it was. A gleam of hope sparkled in my eyes and soul.

Had Microsoft finally, “GOT IT?”

The description looked tantalizing. Anonymous browsing – not even Firefox could do that without the aid of a plug-in or extension! Accelerators teasingly resembled those Firefox additions that enhance the users browsing experience. Dare I hope? Was this finally a serious Microsoft contender to Firefox? I had to have it!

Rest easy Open Source junkies. The new Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 is a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing! And over the next several posts I’ll show you why!

The 15.9 MB file downloaded quickly but my hopes were soon dashed as the installation started. It was still the same old Microsoft! Still up to its old tricks trying to slip in it’s usual control by wanting me to combine all my updates along with their USELESS Malicious Software Removal Tool, thus rendering me under their total control. (Click the picture below to see a full view.)

Had I not stopped and read each screen carefully, I would have been surrendering my control of choosing which downloads to install.

They know we do that, you know. That’s why they keep trying to sneak in their software to allow their total control over your updates and downloads. They don’t want us to know what they are REALLY installing.

It didn’t take long for my hopes to continue their downward spiral into the Microsoft abyss of empty words, empty promises, and propaganda.

One of the next screens asked me if I’d like to turn on Suggested Sites. The screen states,

Do you want to discover websites you might like based on websites that you’ve visited?

(Click the picture above to see a full view.)

Hmmmm. How do you suppose they would know what websites I visited?

Oh yes! You guessed it! They will be so kind in helping suggest sites that they will keep a history of my web visits for me! Isn’t that nice of them?

First, I want you to notice that during this setup process all you see is their BS marketing descriptions of what these items are. You have no clue how this is going to affect your privacy and security. You would have to click their Privacy Statement link to view that.

So, let’s see what they say about that! The emphasis and footnote references have been added by me to help you follow along with the rest of my comments after reading this.

Suggested Sites is an online experience designed to show you which websites you visit most¹, and to provide you with suggestions of other websites you might be interested in visiting. When you turn on Suggested Sites, your web browsing history is sent to Microsoft, where it is saved ² and compared to a frequently updated list of websites that are similar to ones you visit often. You can choose to pause or stop this feature from sending your web browsing history to Microsoft at any time. You can also delete individual entries from your history at any time. Deleted entries will not be used to provide you suggestions for other websites, although they will be retained by Microsoft³ for a period of time to help improve our products and services, including this feature. Any websites you visit while InPrivate Browsing is active will not be sent to Microsoft.

When Suggested Sites is turned on, the addresses of websites you visit are sent to Microsoft, together with some standard information from your computer such as IP address, browser type, regional and language settings. To help protect your privacy, the information is encrypted⁴ when sent to Microsoft. Information associated with the web address, such as search terms or data you entered in forms might be included. For example, if you visited the Microsoft.com search website at http://search.microsoft.com and entered “Seattle” as the search term, the full address http://search.microsoft.com/results.aspx?q=Seattle&qsc0=0&FORM=QBMH1&mkt=en-US will be sent. Address strings might unintentionally contain personal information⁵, but this information is not used to identify, contact or target advertising to you.

Statistics about your usage of Suggested Sites will also be sent to Microsoft such as the time that websites were visited, which website referred you, and how you got there (e.g., by clicking a link or one of your Favorites)⁶. This information, along with the website addresses and past history, will be used to personalize your experience, as well as improve the quality of our products and services. Microsoft will not use any information collected to identify, contact or target advertising to you.

Footnote 1: Thanks Microsoft! I’m really a moron and I can’t seem to remember that myself! What kind of lame a** excuse is that for justifying your reasons for gathering information?

Footnote 2: Well the fact that Microsoft saves my information is a great disclosure. Thanks Microsoft for covering you assets there! But you know what? I’ve read the online privacy page and here’s my issue with you saving my information….

Information that is collected by or sent to Microsoft may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries, or agents maintain facilities. Microsoft may disclose this information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Microsoft or the site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Microsoft and its family of Web sites, or (c) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, users of Microsoft software or services, or members of the public. Microsoft occasionally hires other companies to provide limited services on its behalf, such as providing customer support, processing transactions, or performing statistical analysis of reports. Microsoft will provide those companies only the information they need to deliver the service. They are required to maintain the confidentiality of this information and are prohibited from using it for any other purpose.

For those of you who have been numb and dumb as companies continue to take away your personal rights and privacy, the United States Privacy Laws DO NOT APPLY outside this country! Once Microsoft transfers your data outside the US or to one of their “third party” companies, you’re no longer secure and your PERSONAL DATA is no longer protected!

And what is Microsoft going to do if the company does use the data? How are they even going to know? How are you going to know that the company got your name from Microsoft?

Footnote 3: Isn’t that wonderful that Microsoft tells us that we can pause, stop, or delete our browsing history participation but they are still going to store it for us. Maybe we might want it back some day? Ya think?

Oh, I’m bad! They say they are going to use it to enhance my browsing experience! Funny but Firefox enhances my browsing experience every day and I NEVER have to give away any information to them nor their third party add-ons! Imagine that!

Give me a break Microsoft! I see where you’re going with this and I’m going to share it with the world and anyone who will listen!

Footnote 4: How generous of you to send my information encrypted! Is that because YOU don’t want me seeing what you’re sending yourself? Like I trust you? Like you’ve given me reason to trust you? NOT!

Oh yes, you’re going to protect my privacy from anyone else (aside from you) who might want to CAPITALIZE on the spying data you’re gathering in. I get it!

But let’s assume for a brief, fleeting second, that Microsoft really does care. They really are concerned about your privacy. Well, that might be believable for that fleeting second until you read Footnote 5!

Footnote 5: How can you tell me in this age of precision programming that some identifying information MIGHT be sent?

I know programming Balmer! Either you are or you aren’t. Personally identifying information doesn’t accidentally get trapped inside a string of specific data. If it is, then your programmers need how to write better code!

This is a blatant cover you’re a** statement because you know da** well you’re gathering it!

Footnote 6: Is there anyone else out there besides me that remembers the huge fight against adware and scumware? The fight against the advertising and tracking cookies?

The fight was about how unscrupulous companies were using specially formed cookies or small programming code to track where you went. What page referred you to where you got next and what you did so that they targeted advertising based on where you visited. Do you remember that?

The only difference between then and now is that Microsoft is openly telling you they are scumware and banking on YOU NOT READING the privacy statement!

If I had a dime, a lousy dime for every single person I know who clicks through these installation screens without reading and investigating what Microsoft is peddling, I’d be a very RICH person!

And wait my friends, there’s more to this whole story and tomorrow, I’m going to show you even a bigger picture everyone is missing! This does get worse!

Tune in for part 2 tomorrow…….

If the headline doesn’t get your blood boiling, probably what I have to say about this will!

The headline is actually one in the InfoWorld Today’s Headline Newsletter I just received. According to the article located here: http://www.infoworld.com/, the geniuses at M$ have come to this conclusion because of the information they receive back from their Malicious Software Removal Tool (MRT).

Okay, in case that just went right over your head for a brief second, read again what I said….”the geniuses at M$ have come to this conclusion because of the information they receive back from their Malicious Software Removal Tool (MRT).

I have advised all of my clients and family since day one, never to install that tool. The reason was that I actually tested it and found it trying to remove one of my third party pieces of software I use in web designing. Later, it started trying to remove components of the Norton Antivirus I was using! That was enough for me to call it quits early in the game. From then on, I did custom installs of the auto-updates and excluded that bad piece of junk! (So now that might explain to some of you why the he** your Norton or other software keeps screwing up!?)

But NEVER once did I know they used it to send back information! And I’ll bet NEITHER DID YOU!

According to the InfoWorld article (emphasis added by me):

Microsoft’s latest security data is particularly interesting because of the sheer number of machines that the company can electronically survey with one of its free security programs, the Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT).

The MSRT is a low-end security tool that removes some of the most common classes of malicious software. The MSRT, which is an optional installation, scans machines once a month, and reports its findings back to Microsoft.

The software is on an astounding number of PCs: 450 million worldwide, according to Tim Rains, group product manager for Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group, which handles security issues. Rains made his presentation Tuesday at the Infosec security show in London.

First of all, might I say that putting Microsoft in the same sentence with TRUSTWORTHY anything is an oxymoron! Trustworthy Computing my A**!

So now I’m obviously peeved (as you can probably tell!) and on a whim I went back to this page: http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx to see if there was anything in that page that says that (And I printed it to PDF in the event M$ decides to change that page!) they also report back to M$. And it says nothing there!

So, I clicked the download link that takes me here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AD724AE0-E72D-4F54-9AB3-75B8EB148356&displaylang=en#Overview

And again nothing mentioned there. (And yes, I printed that page to PDF too!).

So, on yet another whim, I download the miserable tool. That’s what they make ADD/REMOVE for right?

And I found it, sort of! See for yourself how it’s presented in the screen shot below:

Now, compare the statement: MICROSOFT MAY COLLECT AND PUBLISH AGGREGATED DATA ABOUT THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE to the article statement of: “…scans machines once a month, and reports its findings back to Microsoft.“

LIARS! You are no better than the alleged scumware you are telling us you are supposed to be removing!

Now that I have that out of my system, let’s continue….

The article goes on to state (emphasis again by me):

“Our customers choose to run some of this stuff,” Rains said. “Some of them get some value from it. Some of them don’t realize what they are doing. Some of them do. That’s why we call them potentially unwanted. Some of them are legitimate companies with legitimate products. We don’t want to make any value judgements on that.”

First of all, Mr. Rains, how the he** would you know that your customers choose to run them? Does your removal tool ask them WHY they are leaving it in? And does your software tool also report back how many of your users know what they are doing?

Maybe, just maybe, the poor people out there DON’T know what they are doing because you creeps have kept them so numb and dumb that they have no CLUE what to do!

The article cites that winfixer is installed on home computers up to five times more than any other rogue software program. For those of you who don’t know about winfixer, it displays a nagging screen much like the one I showed you in my REANIMATOR blog post.

Since it looks like a Microsoft Windows screen, and poor, unsuspecting users have been suckered into believing that Microsoft has their best interest at heart, why wouldn’t they click on it!

Little do they know that it’s the flaws in your “rush to market” operating systems that promotes this stuff! But oh yeah, that’s right, like Ballmer said about your VISTA, “it’s quality code!” How silly of me to forget that! It doesn’t matter if it’s secure or compatible as long as it’s first!

This latest article sickens me. How dare you – MICROSOFT – make a statement that some users may like adware! You arrogant, egotistical, spying, low-life, software pushers! You deceive the public with your propaganda and then wonder why users can’t make proper decisions? And then you have the nerve to judge them for it?

Shame on you!

Shame on the shareholders who continue to buy your stock!

Shame on the OEM system builders who continue to support your software.

Shame on us, the buying public, for not wising up sooner!

And shame on any Microsoft product user who continues to allow you to spy on us while lying outright in your privacy statements! There is a huge difference between the words “may” and “will” in a privacy statement. YOU KNEW you were going to use and collect that data. That’s not “may” – that is will.

I can’t wait until your Karma catches up to you! What goes around, comes around! And I’m waiting………