Microsoft Defangs WGA Just a Bit

On Tuesday, Microsoft shipped an updated version of its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Notifications tool, the controversial Windows component that security researchers recently labeled as spyware. The new version no longer silently sends information via the Internet to Microsoft each time the PC on which it's installed reboots. Additionally, Microsoft has provided information about removing this egregious software component.

"Our customers have told us that they were disappointed with their WGA Notifications experience, and we have made an effort to improve that with this update," Microsoft wrote in a statement that describes the update.

WGA is designed to help Microsoft prevent software piracy. It's actually two components: WGA Validation, which determines whether the version of Windows on which it's running is legitimate, and WGA Notifications, which displays annoying alerts on pirated Windows copies and "phones home" information to Microsoft on a regular basis.

Recently, Microsoft came under fire for a change in its WGA Notifications component that caused WGA to send system-validation information to Microsoft every time the PC rebooted. Another concern was that Microsoft issued this WGA version to customers as a high-priority update through Automatic Updates and Windows Update, even though it was still beta code. The company was essentially using its customers as guinea pigs without their knowledge, then secretly using the tool to acquire piracy data.

Despite the privacy concerns, Microsoft defended its actions by noting that it has a right to know whether legitimate Windows users are using its software-updating services. The new version of WGA Notifications still displays annoying alerts to pirates. And it still sends data back the first time the test is run (on installation). However, now it won't check every time the system reboots, and it won’t send data back to Microsoft.

If you want to remove WGA Notifications from your system, you should know that it's not as simple as selecting the component in the Control Panel "Add or Remove Programs" applet. Microsoft has made removal instructions available on its Web site, but they are "not tested, supported or recommended." You know, just like WGA itself.

Microsoft Web site

End of Article

Well, half-measures are better than none at all. Nice to see Microsoft listening (even if it is with only one ear).

lotsamystuff June 28, 2006 (Article Rating:

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"Our customers have told us that they were disappointed with their WGA Notifications experience"

Surely the only people it should be bothering are people with pirated copies of windows - who aren't proper 'Customers' anyway.

And as for the silent phoning home, I don't suppose it uses any significant amount of bandwidth nor can be used to personally identify me, and therefore I'm not bothered about that either.

mdsharpe June 28, 2006 (Article Rating:

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Hooray for Microsoft tuning down their spyware! I love that it's news for this company to stop phoning home. It is just week after week of bad news for this dying relic of the 90s.

OS X has no activation, no serial number, and no spyware. You just install it. Microsoft needs to learn how to design software. Maybe Steve Jobs could stop by the Redmond campus and give a few pointers.

bonch June 28, 2006 (Article Rating:

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Bonch - pointing out that OSX has no activation is a mute point, and you know it.

The number of people wanting to get their hands on a pirate copy of MacOSX is tiny. If you are a representative example of a typical MacOSX user, then I'm sure most of them are quite happy to give $129 for each minor OSX update to help Apple stay in business.

Microsoft is not dying, they are market leaders in several areas - dominating far more markets than Apple, who have at times barely hung on to life over the last two decades. Need I remind you that if it wasn't for Microsoft bailing Apple out in the hard times - there would BE no Apple Computers today.

MLomasIcomm June 28, 2006 (Article Rating:

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What Apple does is totally irrelevant. Apple manufactures its own hardware. Anyone can make PCs. In fact, there's a huge "gray market" in countries like China. In suchh markets, piracy is rampant. These people obviously don't get quantity discounts from Microsoft. So what do they do? They install pirated software onto the computers. Of course, this doesn't justify surreptitiously installing software that phones in to the company everyday. MS should have at least informed people about it. And anyway, why everyday? How does a key that was genuine yesterday become pirated today? Is it to prevent people from using trial versions of windows forever? Can the tool that disables WGA ensure that trial versions never expire or does WGA have nothing to do with the trial software?

shark47 June 28, 2006 (Article Rating:

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"And anyway, why everyday? How does a key that was genuine yesterday become pirated today?"

It's not every day, it's every boot. If it was time-based you could fool it by changing the time at bootup and then changing it after the check.

If it was flagged as being done, the pirater would just "check" the done value wherever it was.

The only was have it always work is to have it not be conditional.

orion.adrian@gmail.com June 28, 2006 (Article Rating:

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"OS X has no activation, no serial number, and no spyware. You just install it. Microsoft needs to learn how to design software. Maybe Steve Jobs could stop by the Redmond campus and give a few pointers"

indeed. who'd ever pirate such thing. in fact who'd even pay for it.

guruguru June 28, 2006 (Article Rating:

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Apple is dying just as I predicted. Hang on to your iMacs because they will be worth something someday on the Antiques Roadshow.

"Shares of Apple Computer fell on Wednesday to an eight-month low"

http://news.com.com/New+iPods+to+arrive+late%2C+analyst+says/2100-1041_3-6089007.html?tag=nefd.top

anonymous June 28, 2006 (Article Rating:

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"Shares of Apple Computer fell on Wednesday to an eight-month low"

I find it funny that Bonch talks about MS's falling share prices etc. and happily ignores the fact that Apple's share prices have been falling too. So, if MS is dying because it's shares are down then so is Apple.

shark47 June 28, 2006 (Article Rating:

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"It's not every day, it's every boot. If it was time-based you could fool it by changing the time at bootup and then changing it after the check.

If it was flagged as being done, the pirater would just "check" the done value wherever it was."

That makes sense. Unfortunately, Microsoft has to do it because piracy is rampant.

shark47 June 28, 2006 (Article Rating:

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