I have a sneaking suspicion that that ID can be deleted either with a specific service not running or with Windows powered off.
it is generated from identifiers on device by a remote microsoft system where it is stored ..
GDID Windows – Cut the tracker that follows you even under VPN
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Re: GDID Windows – Cut the tracker that follows you even under VPN
#12> Microsoft provided the FBI with the history of IP addresses tied to that specific GDID. This article, and most articles about this, doesn't explain where FBI got that GDID from. Ok, Microsoft has a list of IP addresses that has been used by a computer with a certain GDID, but FBI needs to get the GDID in the first place, and then try to bind that to a person. I found another article that explains the process a bit…
They claim it was an ngrok account that was used to host an endpoint used in the compromise, tied to a microsoft account / gdid that was passed when ngrok software was downloaded from the "microsoft store".
That wouldn't explain how they connected the GDID to the visit to the retailers website
> Three hours later, the same GDID visited the retailer’s own website, through the same Tzulo proxy address used to set up the ngrok account.
Re: GDID Windows – Cut the tracker that follows you even under VPN
#13> Microsoft provided the FBI with the history of IP addresses tied to that specific GDID. This article, and most articles about this, doesn't explain where FBI got that GDID from. Ok, Microsoft has a list of IP addresses that has been used by a computer with a certain GDID, but FBI needs to get the GDID in the first place, and then try to bind that to a person. I found another article that explains the process a bit…
They make the default web browser on Windows, and that sends your browsing data if you don't disable its telemetry. See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48921595
This seems like something that should be easy to confirm, but I haven't seen anyone do it. Do they keep a database of every website visit all Edge users make?
Re: GDID Windows – Cut the tracker that follows you even under VPN
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
At least Debian and Ubuntu have /etc/machine-id, presumably easily changed - but it’s there.
I think the difference is that, on Windows, there are background services that constantly ping Microsoft with the device ID. A device ID on its own is not really harmful if it's not exposed to the internet.
Right, the danger here isn't stable unique data itself--there's already plenty of that--but the OS "telemetry" which steals [0] it and reports to Big-Brother along with too much other betraying information. Every site you visit, every program you run, the serial numbers of all your hardware, etc. Even if the GDID were totally absent, it would still be a correlate-able privacy nightmare.
Ultimately there's no informed consent here: The average consumer is disbelieving and surprised if you tell them what kinds of stuff Microsoft has/can put into a dossier. Nobody thinks: "Ah, Edge on a fresh Windows install, I'm glad Microsoft knows every site I visit, and can tell I'm a friend with someone because we use the same bluetooth speaker."
[0] It seems wrong to use the verb "leaks" when it's so obviously intentional.
Re: GDID Windows – Cut the tracker that follows you even under VPN
#15wow.. How is this not a bigger deal
Re: GDID Windows – Cut the tracker that follows you even under VPN
#16I have a sneaking suspicion that that ID can be deleted either with a specific service not running or with Windows powered off.
it is generated from identifiers on device by a remote microsoft system where it is stored ..
But it is regenerated by reinstalling. So I suspect that its less fingerprint based and more of an in disk IDs thing. Which goes back to if you clear the right things while the system is not running you might be able to change it
Re: GDID Windows – Cut the tracker that follows you even under VPN
#17I think it's likely that Microsoft is running a process to correlate "new" GDIDs to old ones, ex:
"Oh look, this one has almost all the serial numbers of components and attached-devices as that other one, it's probably the same computer with a fresh install, let's make a note of that..."
Re: GDID Windows – Cut the tracker that follows you even under VPN
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
They make the default web browser on Windows, and that sends your browsing data if you don't disable its telemetry. See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48921595
This seems like something that should be easy to confirm, but I haven't seen anyone do it. Do they keep a database of every website visit all Edge users make?
Speculation: if you turn on browser sync so you can have your open tabs and history on different computers, that stuff will be on MS' cloud with your consent, with whatever E2EE they have or claim to have.
But it would be very foolish for a blackhat to turn on browser sync...
Re: GDID Windows – Cut the tracker that follows you even under VPN
#19Interesting, generally Microsoft bypasses the hosts file name resolution for various MSFT domains. Curious that these were not included (if it works, which I assume the mitigation does).
https://petri.com/windows-10-ignoring-hosts-file-specific-na...
Re: GDID Windows – Cut the tracker that follows you even under VPN
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
This seems like something that should be easy to confirm, but I haven't seen anyone do it. Do they keep a database of every website visit all Edge users make?
Speculation: if you turn on browser sync so you can have your open tabs and history on different computers, that stuff will be on MS' cloud with your consent, with whatever E2EE they have or claim to have. But it would be very foolish for a blackhat to turn on browser sync...
I got banned from all computers in my secondary school and from taking the IT GCSE; final school exam in the UK.
Using the school news paper shared account, I copied the bullies coursework in to the public share, made changes to the coursework on my own user account and then copied it back to their work folder using the school news papers account.
MS Office keeps an "Last edited by" field so I got caught. If I had used the school newspaper account to make the edit I wouldn't of been caught. Rookie error. I too discovered a DCOM in the Windows 98 help file that revealed all the hidden shares on the network which scared the school. This was 2004 and I was 15.
Oh and the time, I bought a BB gun off someone at school. I was a librarian in the schools library and showed it off someone of the older grade year. The head librarian confiscated it and reported it to the headmaster. The guy then gave me a copy of Q3A and I stuck with violence the video-game way.