Technology

100? Where's that number coming from? I see 48 distinct entries on port 80 there. Some of them list a few hundred connection attempts, but of course they do, their connections are being dropped by someone waving around a firewall with no understanding of what they're doing.

Let's look at that list though, shall we? There's an entry for port 123, which is NTP, and laughable to include in a list of complaints. There are four entries for port 3544, Teredo, which again is a protocol with a specific purpose (providing IPv6 connectivity to hosts on a v4-only network), and also not worthy of inclusion.

The remaining entries, 48 on port 80 and 60 on port 443, don't show any particular indication of unseemly behaviour, primarily because all we have are port numbers and IPs from this log (with other information being derived later from simple lookups). Blocking the packets rather than capturing them for later analysis isn't very helpful.

Nonetheless, we know that the bulk of them are connecting to Microsoft with the majority of the remainder hitting CDNs (interesting to note that almost all the port 80 entries are for CDNs - not exactly the sort of behaviour you'd expect from OMG-secret-M$-h4xx). Since we can't analyse the actual content of the packets, all we can do is speculate, but there are some things that are probably in there, depending on config:
-NCSI requests
-Windows Update checks
-Live tile refreshes
-Anonymised telemetry
-Cortana speech/handwriting personalisation data
-Settings sync
-OneDrive file transfer
-Crash dumps
-Any damn thing, because we have no indication of what was being done on the machine in question!

Here's something that probably isn't in there:
-Secret personal data that could get Microsoft lawsuited into oblivion which they somehow didn't think was worth hiding from a basic firewall being inserted into their wholly controlled network stack.

 

A "large financial institution" would, presumably, be looking at the Enterprise edition of Windows 10, which includes the ability to disable the telemetry data that has everyone so worked up. If he's a network engineer, he wouldn't necessarily know that because desktop environments aren't his responsibility, but it's likely he's either working off outdated info or has somehow misunderstood.

This needs a lot more context to understand what "servers" are being referred to, but I have never heard of Microsoft claiming anything to be "unhackable" - anyone who does is a) dreaming and b) asking for instant proof to the contrary. I'm not convinced, based on the rest of the discussion, though of course a given individual employee is free to make wild claims with no basis in fact.

Nonetheless, if they "want" to mirror the <etc etc>, it sounds likely to me that what's being discussed is a very common thing - disaster recovery provided by a third party. It's not that Microsoft are showing up asking for a copy of all the data, it's that they're trying to sell you a bunch of Azure services to provide a capability you need, rather than you doing it yourself or taking your business elsewhere. It's easy to misunderstand what's being discussed without the context of the conversation though, so once it passes through a few people, everything sounds outrageous and unreasonable, when in all likelihood it was just someone trying to flog their stuff.

 

That data posted above isn't mine, I'm not running win10, I really wasn't assed at looking at data before posting it today

Anyway why are you talking "secrect data" I said it was calling home data. I don't want windows to call home period.
Like that GWX app, anti-beacon is similar that it disables a lot of BS that I don't want to call home regardless if it's harmless or not.

Telemetry Hosts
Telemetry Services
Consumer Experience Improvements Program
Application Impact Telemetry
Steps Recorder
Wi-Fi Sense
Apps using advertising ID
P2P Windows Updates outside local network.

Even getting patches now is dodgy because they keep sneaking in these upgrade to win10. People are going to miss out on security updates because of this dodgy BS.

Also if this privacy stuff isn't a big deal to M$ why do they keep re-enabling the data collecting settings with every major patch cycle

 

OK, fine. But people who don't understand WTF they're talking about (and think they do) post articles freaking out about it, and include **** like that, then normal people think "OMG Windows 10 is bad and insecure because it sends my stuff to Microsoft", when in actual fact Windows 10 is substantially more secure than any prior version, and actively good for security, not bad. You're only adding to the problem by posting that data without reading and understanding it (which is not to say you can't, just that, as you noted, you didn't).

You specifically said "spying". If "spies" are just ringing their embassy for a chat every now and then I've seriously misunderstood the motivation behind the entire Bond franchise. Regardless, "calling home" is meaningless at this point - so many services are provided across the internet that blocking all automated activity like that is just going to break potentially useful stuff for no particularly good reason. At least disable it via a supported, built-in method rather than chucking something new into your network stack and widening your attack (and trust) surface.

GWX removal tools have one specific, useful purpose which Microsoft should have provided themselves and didn't (in a clean interface exposed to a normal end user). I don't think they're similar at all.

I don't really know where your random list of Windows features is from or what is being claimed about them, but let's assume it's roughly similar to what everybody claims about the "phone home" stuff and the general gist is "OMG this is horrible and bad!".

Telemetry (including the "Customer experience" stuff) can be minimised but not fully disabled, in non-Enterprise editions. It's anonymised data on usage and reliability of various OS features, which they then put towards deciding how to improve the next version of Windows (or other application), discovering and prioritising bugs and so on. People who freak out and block it are hilariously often the ones who whine endlessly when Windows features are developed in a way they do not like. Hmm.

Problem Steps Recorder won't do anything if you don't use it.

Wi-Fi sense is there to enable automatic connection to shared networks. Again, it isn't hard to turn off and is trying to be helpful.

Advertising ID is no different than a Google cookie - you can disable it with one tickbox if you're a fan of non-tailored ads in any ad-supported Store apps. Not using any Modern style apps? Then it does nothing.

P2P updates are exactly what it says. You guessed it, perfectly reasonable functionality, also very easy to disable.

Absolutely. Including the Win10 nag thing with a security update was an awful idea, and they should not have done it. No question at all, it was stupid.

They don't. I recall one update that did that, and once discovered, IIRC they pulled it and reissued when fixed. My settings haven't changed across security updates or even entirely new builds (I didn't get the one problematic update until after it was pulled and reissued).

There are plenty of legitimate and important things to criticise Microsoft over, which is why I wish people wouldn't waste time on pointless crap like this, actively working against the greater security of the general internet and the Windows-using population.

Edit - I should add, all those things I mention are easy to disable are presented on a single screen during install, if you choose to modify the default settings. If you don't, there's an icon in the Settings window labelled "Privacy" where you change them. All there in one nice, neat location.

 

Sorry for the late reply.
Good points well taken, the reason for not up grading is its not a major life priority. I have just moved house and my IT person I trust is an hour away.

 

The above few threads just show why the ordinary user has no faith in the big companies these days. I've got auto updates turned off on W8 (which is rubbish) so hopefully I'll never get stuck with W10...

 

If you think Windows 8 is rubbish, you might prefer Windows 10. Regardless, having auto updates turned off is a terrible idea. Even if you'd rather stick with 8 (or, hopefully, 8.1), there's almost never a good reason to disable Windows Update completely. Install Speedy's GWX Control Panel app if you're desperate to avoid 10, and turn it back on, at least for critical updates, if not recommended.

 

Fair enough - there's certainly an argument for "it works now and if something goes awry in an update I have no way to fix it". But do be careful - use Google Chrome as your browser if possible, with ad-blocking (ads are a very popular malware vector) from something like uBlock Origin. Keep regular, offline backups of all important data (e.g. portable USB disks that aren't plugged into your machine except during backups) and don't safe any truly critical info on the machine at all if you can avoid it (no text files with online backing passwords, for example!). Obviously a reasonable antivirus application is also very important! I like MalwareBytes but there are a small number of other well trusted apps.

If you have a device with a modern OS somewhere (iPad, another laptop etc) then I'd probably use that for banking and similar rather than a machine running XP, but at least the above (which you may already do!) will go some way towards ameliorating XPs inherent lack of contemporary security protections.

InfoSec Taylor Swift runs a site that has some good basic info on staying secure - several people here won't like it because one of the suggestions is to upgrade to Windows 10, but there's plenty of other useful info at DecentSecurity.com.

 

Malwarebytes is my weapon of choice .... bloody good and worth a lot less than the other rubbish at Hardly Normals

 

Thanks for the tech tips , I recognise the mbanking issues and oddly my Ipad is good for any banking. etc.
Just while i am doing house renos having no computer issues (by luck more than anything else) is one less headache

 

To add something for the "I hate Windows 10" crowd, a new alternative to the GWX Control Panel app mentioned previously by Speedy, Never10 by well known privacy paranoiac Steve Gibson. Smaller, no install necessary, no continually running app... just a quick tweak of some well known tech stuff behind the scenes and a very clear display of the current status.

Windows 10 is still better and more secure than any prior version, but at least if you use this (or the GWX Control Panel app) you can have 7/8.1 without the nagging and without the insanity of having to turn off all updates.

 

Headlines you wouldn't have expected to hear a couple of years ago:
Ubuntu?s bash and Linux command line coming to Windows 10 | Ars Technica

 

So, consumers will call this "standard" unix like all the other great unwashed

 

Ubuntu is just about the standard nowadays anyway, for desktops at least, so I guess it will look that way! Interesting that it's a totally separate thing from the old POSIX subsystem... I always thought that could've been better utilised.

I'm (not) looking forward to having three totally different Windows command lines soon - cmd + PowerShell + bash, ugh. We get it guys, Windows is not just about GUIs anymore

 

a conversation with Vmax and Moretti:

blah, blah, blah, everything from Microsoft is perfect and wonderful, blah, blah, blah

blah, blah, blah, everything about my 355 is perfect and wonderful, blah, blah, blah

*yawn*

 

I see you didn't bother to read my post, which consisted mainly of Microsoft criticism...

 

I can remember my consulting days when clients would refer to Sun unix as "standard" when in actual fact apart from OSF there was no standard ....... and where is OSF today ?

Linux was the standard free version in the old days and has been utilised in many network products , a testimony to it's power and speed , but the world moves on and the nerds determine the next "standard" .

I like CMD, used it just the other day to find the mail product on a neighbours PC that had disappeared for some unknown reason due to profile corruption ..... after GREP and AUK unix commands CMD is almost simple

 

He's projecting, or drinking, flip a coin

Anyhow, leave Apple to the point and clickers, it makes them feel like they're computer people

 

and leave MS to the sys admins, it makes them feel like they're relevant.

 

Totally agree, I was warned by the DEC sales dept to stop bagging M$ as an OS when they had their big push on PCs running Windoze .... I kept telling clients that putting a PC on each desk with Windows would only reduce the efficiency of the staff and increase the support staff but did they listen ...... oh no, then the internet turns up and productivity goes straight out the window.

Apples are great for graphics companies producing magazines or brochures but need an excellent network with huge bandwidth to handle the massive file transfers.

My beef with Apple is that from a network perspective they are just as arrogant as M$ in disregarding RFCs , IETFs and any other rule based protocol for interoperability.

Took me months to get all the Apple based patches applied to my wireless networks for iPhones to work correctly

 

You'll be able to do that notification stuff natively pretty soon, on any Windows 10/recent Android combo: The Windows 10 Anniversary Update can mirror Android notifications | Ars Technica