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LG monitors silently install software through Windows Update without consent

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Re: LG monitors silently install software through Windows Update without consent

#431

Post by tomaskafka »

devttyeu wrote: post #20

This is so much worse that the title makes it out to be: 1. Your OS installs malware (technically manufacturers software) from a 3rd party vendor in background, zero user interaction 2. Happens as soon as you or anyone with physical access plug in a device into the HDMI port 3. That malware has internet and full system access, no sandboxing 4. It starts with every system boot 5. This software gets installed when you…

I understand shitty brands want to do this.

The bit I don’t understand is Microsoft making an infrastructure that allows this, lets shine the shame light here.

Re: LG monitors silently install software through Windows Update without consent

#432

Post by MatejKafka »

coldtea wrote: post #419
MatejKafka wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How exactly do you propose to sandbox drivers running in kernel space? Do you even know how drivers work? (I'm guessing no, based on this comment)

First of all, drivers don't have to run in kernel space. Do you know that? I'm guessing no, based on your comment. Second, we're not talking about the drivers per se, as those aren't what shows you ads, it's the configuration software and accompanying crapware. Did you get that? I'm guessing no, based on your comment. Third, there are capability-based kernels, microkernels, drivers that are allowed into as restricted…

Read sibling comments to get answers to all your (non)questions.

Re: LG monitors silently install software through Windows Update without consent

#433

Post by theamk »

devttyeu wrote: post #20

This is so much worse that the title makes it out to be: 1. Your OS installs malware (technically manufacturers software) from a 3rd party vendor in background, zero user interaction 2. Happens as soon as you or anyone with physical access plug in a device into the HDMI port 3. That malware has internet and full system access, no sandboxing 4. It starts with every system boot 5. This software gets installed when you…

That's just living in the Windows world.

After start menu ads, I don't understand why people are being surprised anymore.

Re: LG monitors silently install software through Windows Update without consent

#434

Post by gambiting »

StumpChunkman wrote: post #368
gambiting wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMHO it's the best OS as a games developer, Visual Studio just doesn't have anything remotely close. And all console toolchains are windows only. But genuinely as a C++ dev I much much much prefer it over MacOS or even Linux for work.

Have you tried Rider? I've been using that for C++ Unreal development and absolutely love it. It does help that IntelliJ was my daily driver for Java dev for a while.

Yes, for general writing/reading/navigating code it's fine. But (imho) when you really need to get down into debugging some engine level crash, I'll take VS over Rider every time. Might be personal preference.

Re: LG monitors silently install software through Windows Update without consent

#435

Post by theamk »

tomaskafka wrote: post #431
devttyeu wrote: post #20

This is so much worse that the title makes it out to be: 1. Your OS installs malware (technically manufacturers software) from a 3rd party vendor in background, zero user interaction 2. Happens as soon as you or anyone with physical access plug in a device into the HDMI port 3. That malware has internet and full system access, no sandboxing 4. It starts with every system boot 5. This software gets installed when you…

I understand shitty brands want to do this. The bit I don’t understand is Microsoft making an infrastructure that allows this, lets shine the shame light here.

Have you installed Windows recently? It is full of ads.

If Microsoft can push ads to users, why can't LG?

Re: LG monitors silently install software through Windows Update without consent

#436

Post by jms703 »

halJordan wrote: post #170
devttyeu wrote: post #20

This is so much worse that the title makes it out to be: 1. Your OS installs malware (technically manufacturers software) from a 3rd party vendor in background, zero user interaction 2. Happens as soon as you or anyone with physical access plug in a device into the HDMI port 3. That malware has internet and full system access, no sandboxing 4. It starts with every system boot 5. This software gets installed when you…

Unprecedented? Have you installed a Dell/Alienware monitor recently? I hope you enjoy having the unsigned awcc.exe autostarting with no visible ui doing good knows what with no documentation from Dell

Yeah, I was looking for this comment. Dell/Alienware have been doing this for YEARS. Part of the many reasons I moved from Window to Linux.

Re: LG monitors silently install software through Windows Update without consent

#437

Post by MatejKafka »

throw0101a wrote: post #143
delta_p_delta_x wrote: post #6

Workaround: gpedit.msc Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Device Installation Prevent automatic download of applications associated with device metadata Set to enabled OK On home editions sans gpedit.msc: sysdm.cpl Hardware tab Click Device Installation Settings Under 'Do you want to automatically download manufacturers' apps for your devices?', select 'No' Save Changes

> On home editions sans gpedit.msc: I've managed to generally avoid running Windows (at home and at work) for a long time now, but if there was a situation where I needed to get a PC (at home?), is there a recommended least-sucky way of living with? Are there editions or scripts or a setup workflow that would make it suck less?

Use Pro, Home is needlessly limiting for a power user.

Re: LG monitors silently install software through Windows Update without consent

#438

Post by inigyou »

timpera wrote: post #336
inigyou wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your OS is malware, if it's Windows.

Windows may not be the best OS for you but it definitely isn't malware.

What is the evidence that Windows isn't malware?

Re: LG monitors silently install software through Windows Update without consent

#439

Post by fsflover »

MatejKafka wrote: post #430
fsflover wrote: post #424

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linux doesn't install malware, because it is free software, which guarantees the four user freedoms. Whenever someone adds malware, anybody else can remove it for everyone or create an equally useful fork without it. Try this with Windows. In other words, Stallman was right, and proprietary software developers have too much power over users. And they inevitably, sooner or later, leverage this power for (more) profit,…

Except there's plenty of proprietary software for linux, you just won't find it in default repos and have to install it manually.

Did I say otherwise? Any proprietary software for Linux suffers or will suffer from the same problem. But not Linux itself or any free software running on it.

Re: LG monitors silently install software through Windows Update without consent

#440

Post by theamk »

delta_p_delta_x wrote: post #251
ikidd wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've gotten to the point that if you're trying to show me something and I see you're using Windows, I just assume you're an unserious person and it's worthless. All the major tools for advanced work are Linux-based, and there's maybe a Windows version, but it's probably a kludge like Docker Desktop.

> All the major tools for advanced work are Linux-based No, they aren't. Linux hasn't yet got anything remotely close to PDB symbol servers and WinDbg's record-replay debugging. perf is... an attempt. Source: worked on Windows and Linux drivers and user-mode applications. Windows tooling blows the competition out of the water in actually advanced developer experience. Vim is cool to the ricing hackerman types but not…

advanced work != advanced tools

You can have basic and not very user friendly tool, and work on very advanced topics, such as new forms of networking, innovative database, cool filesystem or storage devices, etc...

Or you can be an advanced windows developer with very nice tools, and yet work on something utterly mundane, like an internal app which tracks time off in your company, schedules delivery of parts, or provides a (granted, very nice and polished) UI to the backend database server which runs Linux.

In my experience, most of the advanced work is done on Linux nowadays. Just look at HN front page - how many posts are Windows-only and are not "new UI over existing library/service"?

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