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Microsoft's official "Bing Wallpaper app" does some nasty, malware-like things to Windows (www.techspot.com)

submitted 21 hours ago by ForgottenFlux@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

55 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The app automatically installs Bing Visual Search and includes code to decrypt cookies saved in other browsers, Rivera said, and it also brings a "free" geolocation web API to the system.

The developer discovered "many" nasty tricks Microsoft integrated in Bing Wallpapers, which include trying to change the browser's settings and set Edge as the default system browser. If the default browser isn't Edge, the app will open the default browser after some time asking to enable the previously installed Microsoft Bing Search for Chrome extension.

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[–] 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 47 points 17 hours ago (3 children)

Haven't we already categorized windows as malware and Microsoft as a malware company? We really shouldn't be surprised that they put out another piece of malware. It's their MO.

[–] RmDebArc_5@sh.itjust.works 15 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

[–] red_pigeon@lemm.ee 36 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

I’m not a windows fan boy, in fact I haven’t used one in years, and have no intentions to.

But this is a weird way of thinking about MS shenanigans.

Hate it or like it, windows update is still an update to your system, to fix security vulnerabilities even. I wish they had implemented it in a user friendly way. But it is NOT a thing that disrupts you with ill intent as you mentioned here.
That is a task manager running some process. But no indication on what the process is !
Enabled by default is an horrible design decision no matter who does it. I agree on that. But this is NOT unauthorised access. You signed up for it when you decided to use windows.

Again I don’t like MS. Hate them for their bad decisions, but don’t hate them by misrepresenting them.

(My comment is only about this screenshot posted here)

[–] PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

The good thing is you can disable most of their telemetry crap if you know what you are doing.