Thread: windows8 killswitch

  1. #1
    Registered User kryptkat's Avatar
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    windows8 killswitch

    The Kill Switch Comes to the PC - Businessweek

    Google, Apple, and Amazon all have the ability to reach into devices to delete illicit content or edit code without users' permission.

    ....

    millions of desktop and laptop PCs will get kill switches for the first time.

    ....

    The history of kill switches on smartphones and e-readers suggests they’re double-edged swords for the companies that wield them. In 2009, Amazon reached into users’ Kindles to delete e-book copies of George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm that had been sold by a publisher without the necessary rights. The ensuing backlash caused Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos to call the move “stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles.”

    i also see another senerio someone cracking the killswitch and having fun meow.
    <whiteflags> You foolishly believe in people and this feeling must be crushed.

    i have gotta get me a bunch of monsantos gmos == genetically modified orgasms .

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    [](){}(); manasij7479's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kryptkat View Post
    i also see another senerio someone cracking the killswitch and having fun meow.
    That would apparently (I guess), be outside the power of an antivirus to prevent.
    But I can't see Microsoft being to aggressive with the killswitch, as a *large* percent of their user base use pirated copies and they are afraid to loose that share.
    (I read that in a press release article, can't find the link )

  3. #3
    Registered User kryptkat's Avatar
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    that is why i put the link at the top.
    The Kill Switch Comes to the PC - Businessweek

    i am wondering if a firewall would block the activation command ? think not.
    <whiteflags> You foolishly believe in people and this feeling must be crushed.

    i have gotta get me a bunch of monsantos gmos == genetically modified orgasms .

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    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    Did you even read the article you linked to? This only applies to software downloaded through the Windows app store. Microsoft doesn't want to be a component of a massive malware push-network, and they're building in the capacity to head off such a risk at the pass. The kill switch cannot and will never be able to affect anything but Metro-style web-installed apps. Primary reason: it is fundamentally incompatible with Microsoft's massive license agreements with huge corporations. These agreements stipulate among other things that there can't be any such kill switch in the OS.
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

  5. #5
    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    The kill switch cannot and will never be able to affect anything but Metro-style web-installed apps.
    That's an awful lot to assume; just because it comes with a nice little carrot doesn't mean Microsoft will not give users the shaft later on.

    *shrug*

    It isn't like it matters though; if one doesn't agree with that sort of thing don't get Windows 8.

    Soma

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    Registered User kryptkat's Avatar
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    FBI May Shut Down Internet On March 8; Could Adversely Affect Half of All Fortune 500 Companies, Millions of Users

    yes i read it. other than the agreements there is nothing to stop them.

    also seen that the fbi is going to replace the dns servers that will disrupt the internet.
    <whiteflags> You foolishly believe in people and this feeling must be crushed.

    i have gotta get me a bunch of monsantos gmos == genetically modified orgasms .

  7. #7
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kryptkat View Post
    FBI May Shut Down Internet On March 8; Could Adversely Affect Half of All Fortune 500 Companies, Millions of Users

    yes i read it. other than the agreements there is nothing to stop them.

    also seen that the fbi is going to replace the dns servers that will disrupt the internet.
    The story there is that a trojan has been altering the DNS settings of Windows machines to point them at some rogue DNS servers, which direct the users to phishing and other malware-infested sites. The FBI gained control of the rogue servers and changed them to serve proper DNS entries again. Now they are taking the rogue servers offline entirely (because you can't have millions of people using some junk servers set up by a bunch of cyber criminals). Your problem with this is what exactly?
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

  8. #8
    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    Your problem with this is what exactly?
    ++

    I suppose I may have misread this situation this entire time, but I've always thought the FBI were doing people a decent by letting the servers live in the first place.

    Soma

  9. #9
    Registered User kryptkat's Avatar
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    Your problem with this is what exactly?
    it does not bother you that a third party sales company like barns and noble or microsoft or amazon or some other retailer can reach in to your computer or ereader and delete or alter software without your permission? "google apple and amazon all have the ability to reach into devices to delete illicit content or edit code without users permission. " we all know what a backdoor can do....

    This only applies to software downloaded through the Windows app store.
    this stops with the app store for now but do you not see the potential to do anything to your computer that they want ?

    with the fbi taking over the dns is a conflict of interest. how so you ask ? ever heard of invasion of privacy ? i am sure that there will be other dns servers up like opendns and such but the fbi having access to your personal search requests with out a warrant. and thanks to the patriot act making this easer to invade your privacy. ie search request as in netname to ip a la dns. replacing servers or more to the point dns servers should be a software companies jurisdiction ? yes ? not the fbis yes ?

    you should be notified that law enforcement owns said dns servers ? yes ?

    also i am not the one that titled the article only linked to it. as for this thread only intended to reiterate the article title oops.
    <whiteflags> You foolishly believe in people and this feeling must be crushed.

    i have gotta get me a bunch of monsantos gmos == genetically modified orgasms .

  10. #10
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    I give up, you don't even grasp the basic nature of the thing, and I won't be able to convince you. The FBI is not taking over the DNS system. You are deliberately failing to comprehend the facts.
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

  11. #11
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kryptkat View Post
    it does not bother you that a third party sales company like barns and noble or microsoft or amazon or some other retailer can reach in to your computer or ereader and delete or alter software without your permission?
    IMO you are (almost) giving them permission by relying exclusively on the mechanisms of distribution that make this possible. It is not as if they can reach into any computer and do anything; the people who would most be affected by this are people who have made very specific choices as a consumer and I'd bet most of them would support this kind of thing, since their choices imply that they trust these mechanisms and the companies who design them. So again, if you stand to be significantly affected, it is because you have essentially given your service provider carte blanche because you believe they are responsible and have your best interests at heart. To my mind, this is very clearly what major commercial OS corps and their users want. An omniscient, benevolent, omnipotent presence, sort of like the Holy Father. This resolves you of the need to take responsibility for many things, which is well and fine -- people pay for these things to do stuff for them, not so they have to think about it themselves.

    I'm always baffled by how ridiculous it is to locate, eg, a photograph taken on an iphone within the directory structure. The whole filesystem on devices like that is black boxed -- there is not supposed to be any reason or need for you to even examine it. Obviously, iphone users in general accept this, it does not matter to them, etc. Likewise, I think the possibility of the service provider coming in and performing mandatory "corrections" is also accepted, even welcomed.

    In essence:

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomotap
    It isn't like it matters though; if one doesn't agree with that sort of thing don't get Windows 8.
    etc. That's easy enough. If not, then perhaps you took the wrong boat at some point .
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  12. #12
    Registered User C_ntua's Avatar
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    Exactly. You cannot have everything. There is a trade-off between security, functionality and privacy, it is practically impossible to have all of them. That how society functions for years and it makes sense to do the same in the digital world. That doesn't mean that you should allow companies to do whatever they want. That is why you have certain laws for privacy, certain regulations mandating security, certain fees if a company fails to maintain them etc etc.

    That been said, you can always block Microsoft or any other company to view your content if you simply encrypt them. You have enough control to do so (you are the admin) and APIs from Windows will even assist you to do so.

    The best is always to give users options and features to be enabled/disabled when it comes to privacy. This way everyone is happy. The next step is to design also a system where privacy and security are taken into account, so the users are informed and warned and can easily maintain their security and privacy, which today is not a high priority for Microsoft, Applet, Google etc. The main reason though is the demand for it which is not high for the average user.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by C_ntua View Post
    The best is always to give users options and features to be enabled/disabled when it comes to privacy. This way everyone is happy. The next step is to design also a system where privacy and security are taken into account, so the users are informed and warned and can easily maintain their security and privacy, which today is not a high priority for Microsoft, Applet, Google etc. The main reason though is the demand for it which is not high for the average user.
    Right. That's what Google has been doing. They even simplified (or compacted) all of their privacy policies into one, and notified users of the change.
    And what happens? The world goes into an uproar and Microsoft is trying to take advantage of it to promote their own browser by belittling Google.

    Anyway, if we don't agree to what a company does as far as kill switch goes, I'm sure some hackers will come up with an anti-"kill switch" crack sometime in the future which you can grab if it isn't to your liking.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

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