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Microsoft admits Windows 11 has a GDID tracker with no off switch, first documented publicly in an FBI hacker complaint (www.windowslatest.com)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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GDID is the persistent Windows ID that helped FBI trace a Scattered Spider hacker despite VPNs. Here's how it works and how to limit it.

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[–] 17 points 3 months ago (4 children)

I wonder how many other GDID type identifiers are out there, besides this Microsoft one.

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  • [–] 17 points 3 months ago* (1 child)

    I'd bet every proprietary OS and firmware (or open source base OS with deeply integrated proprietary software, such as anything Google makes) has something similar.

    For things like phones, an IMEI is already a permenantly attached unique ID tied to the modem. There is also a hardcoded serial number in most electronic devices.

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  • [–] 5 points 3 months ago (1 child)
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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    Most CPUs don't allow you to read the serial number anymore (from userspace at least, I'm sure there are ways of extracting it).

    Except Raspberry Pi for some reason, and for some other reason my coworker decided to use that as a device identifier for one of our services (devices we build and control, we're not just tracking random people). So now I guess we're stuck with raspberry pis for the near future. On any other device it just returns "ERR00000“.

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    • [–] 9 points 3 months ago

    Damn, perhaps competent prosecutors & FBI agents wouldn't have allowed this information to leak.

    Losing an incredible privacy leak to own a 19 year old who posted his crimes on snapchat.

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    [–] -1 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Repost

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