Windows 10 WiFi Sense leaks passwords to strangers

BOFH · Post by **BOFH** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:04 pm

Wi-Fi Sense is a feature built into Windows 10. You may see a pop-up saying “Wi-Fi Sense needs permission to use your Facebook account.” It also works with Outlook.com and Skype contacts.

This feature allows you to share Wi-Fi login information — network names and passphrases — with your friends. It’s designed to automatically connect Windows 10 devices to shared networks.

When you visit your friend’s house or place of business, Windows 10 can automatically sign you into their Wi-Fi if they’ve shared it with you — that’s the idea.

Like many other applications and services, Wi-Fi Sense can tap into your network of Facebook contacts. If you give it access to Facebook, it’ll share any shared networks with your Facebook friends and automatically download any networks your Facebook friends are sharing with you.

That’s the point of Wi-Fi Sense’s Facebook access — it allows Windows 10 to determine who your friends are so it can share Wi-Fi networks with them in the background. Technically, “Windows Wi-Fi” is a third-party app that accesses your Facebook friends so Microsoft knows who you’re friends with.

Microsoft doesn’t need to ask for access to your Skype and Outlook.com contacts because these other services are both owned by Microsoft and tied to your Microsoft account.

You can choose to opt out of this by changing your wireless network name, or SSID, to end with _optout. In other words, if your network name is currently “HomeNetwork”, Microsoft would like you to change the name to “HomeNetwork_optout” to opt out.

http://www.howtogeek.com/219700/what-is ... k-account/

To opt your network out of WiFi Sense, you can change your network name to include the phrase _optout – for example, mynetwork_optout. (The network name is often called the SSID.)

https://www.windowsphone.com/en-gb/how- ... i-fi-sense

Post by **Username Taken** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:17 pm

Linux Mint sounds better every day.

StroppyChops · Post by **StroppyChops** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 5:16 pm

You can choose to opt out of this by changing your wireless network name, or SSID, to end with _optout. In other words, if your network name is currently “HomeNetwork”, Microsoft would like you to change the name to “HomeNetwork_optout” to opt out.

How about Microsoft takes a reality check rather than attempting to redefine global use of technology?

The network name is often called the SSID.

Actually it's ALWAYS called SSID - that's it's correct name.

Advocatus Diaboli · Post by **Advocatus Diaboli** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 5:27 pm

Username Taken wrote:Linux Mint sounds better every day.

Is Linux Mint better than Ubuntu (Linux) ?

Post by **Username Taken** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 6:02 pm

Advocatus Diaboli wrote:
Username Taken wrote:Linux Mint sounds better every day.
Is Linux Mint better than Ubuntu (Linux) ?

Check the 'Page Hit Ranking' on the right side of this page, Mint has been number 1 for at least a couple of years now. http://distrowatch.com/

eriksank · Post by **eriksank** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 6:37 pm

Advocatus Diaboli wrote:
Username Taken wrote:Linux Mint sounds better every day.
Is Linux Mint better than Ubuntu (Linux) ?

I use both ubuntu and mint. In fact, with debian, that is: all three. If you deploy them to a server, you won't see any difference at all between debian, ubuntu, or mint. On a client machine, you will see a difference between the default GUIs. The debian default GUI (gnome) badly sucked the last 3 times I tried. I am certainly ok with mint, but I prefer ubuntu, with its left-side launch bar. Mint has a windows-style start button with tabbed panel. I am not particularly fond of that, but I can live with it. I use mint in a virtual machine, every day a few hours, for my main project. I don't really dislike mint, but I still prefer ubuntu.

Post by **Username Taken** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 6:59 pm

eriksank wrote:
Advocatus Diaboli wrote:
Username Taken wrote:Linux Mint sounds better every day.
Is Linux Mint better than Ubuntu (Linux) ?
I use both ubuntu and mint. In fact, with debian, that is: all three. If you deploy them to a server, you won't see any difference at all between debian, ubuntu, or mint. On a client machine, you will see a difference between the default GUIs. The debian default GUI (gnome) badly sucked the last 3 times I tried. I am certainly ok with mint, but I prefer ubuntu, with its left-side launch bar. Mint has a windows-style start button with tabbed panel. I am not particularly fond of that, but I can live with it. I use mint in a virtual machine, every day a few hours, for my main project. I don't really dislike mint, but I still prefer ubuntu.

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mint wrote:Linux Mint is an Ubuntu-based distribution whose goal is to provide a more complete out-of-the-box experience by including browser plugins, media codecs, support for DVD playback, Java and other components. It also adds a custom desktop and menus, several unique configuration tools, and a web-based package installation interface. Linux Mint is compatible with Ubuntu software repositories.

Maybe that's why you like Mint.

Windows 10 WiFi Sense leaks passwords to strangers

Windows 10 WiFi Sense leaks passwords to strangers

Re: Windows 10 WiFi Sense leaks passwords to strangers

Re: Windows 10 WiFi Sense leaks passwords to strangers

Re: Windows 10 WiFi Sense leaks passwords to strangers

Re: Windows 10 WiFi Sense leaks passwords to strangers

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Re: Windows 10 WiFi Sense leaks passwords to strangers

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