Industrial Espionage
Milette
using the Preview version. Last night, the 24th at around 10PM, I
came home to discover my computer having a modem conversation with
_someone_.
I was running Microsoft Exchange - ostensibly to RECEIVE FAXes.
I IMMEDIATELY turned off the modem when I realized from the LEDs that
the computer was TRANSMITTING a large amount of data - a FAX receive
would be the opposite. The hard drive was also being activated at about
two-second intervals.
I also noted that Microsoft Exchange didn't complain at me turning off
the modem - in fact, the little phone icon at the bottom right of the
screen was indicating on-hook. (Contrary to the condition of the modem.)
After reading about the "Data Collection" feature when
connected to the Microsoft Network, I decided NOT to use MS-Net
because it's nobody's bloody business what's on my hard drive.
Am I right to be suspicious that either:
a) Microsoft has put a back-door into Microsoft Exchange (Just as
IBM did with the FAX program in WARP - whereby a technician could
call into and take control of your machine - yes, it's true, I've
seen it done!)
b) Microsoft put a dial-out feature to call out and download _whatever_
to some central database - coincidentally on the same date as the
release of the full version.
I'm going to stick a data monitor on the serial port to try to trap
any unusual activity but am VERY CONCERNED at this total breach of
security. If true, this would be the largest case of industrial espionage
or breach of privacy the world has ever known!
Back-doors are not unusual but would Microsoft REALLY expect to get
away with releasing an operating system with this capability for evil?
Perhaps I'm being paranoid, but has anyone else noticed anything like
this?
(Please email your reply and I'll summarize if I'm not put into the
rubber room first!)
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| Marty Milette - Education Specialist - Professional Programmer |
| mile...@cognos.com |
| *If you don't like what you read, don't blame Cognos... |
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Beverlie Robertson
accidentally found a similar problem when she used the help line.
Apparently, when answering questions, Microsoft accessed her system &
acquired her data. The story died & there hasn't been an answer in the
media. It would be nice to know what kind of security one has when using
95.
In article <41la6g$d...@wormhole.cognos.com>, mile...@Cognos.COM (Milette)
wrote:
Don Collier
well, Bill Gates does look like a Martian...
seriously, check the fine print, you probably implicitly
gave him permission (legally) to run his software on your
computer, *so* welcome to the benefits of being "sucked in"
to the "Microsloth Data Mining" operation. And someday you
may see some of your personal data out there in the public eye,
since "once taken" it can be published, *unless* you take
the steps required by law to protect your data by notifying
Microsloth of your copyright on it. I think that you have
up to 2 years to notify them.
if everyone threw that copyright notification at them, they
might back off...
hmmm. might have something there. they can also be liable perhaps
for not protecting your "copyrighted" data !
see the Copyright Law of 1976. and, remember that when the data
leaves the country, you are screwed. a word to the wise.
"GENERAL PROTECTION FAULT" reaches a new low, when your
data is now vulnerable.
Put a SCO-UNix Openserver 5.0 wrapper around Windows, just as
good as a condom, <smile>.
eshaw
>
>As a beta tester (I know, along with thousands of others), I've been
>using the Preview version. Last night, the 24th at around 10PM, I
>came home to discover my computer having a modem conversation with
>_someone_.
>
I've been working on something that might be a posible solution to this. I
have a comm sharing device that enables me to dial into my home computer from
work over my one phone line. With the device, my wife, sitting at home watching
the daily soap opera, never even hears the phone ring. The kicker is that I've
setup a security code which is required to "pass through" the comm sharing
device to connect to my computer. No code; No connection.