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[–] 116 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Only enable this feature if you understand the security implications.

They should put that disclaimer on their entire operating system.

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  • [–] 46 points 11 months ago* (2 children)

    If agentic AI is a security risk, why the hell is MS trying to force it in as an integral part of Windows, then? I mean, unless they want people to get malware....

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  • [–] 13 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    I mean, how much money did Meta make from giving scammers publicity on their platforms? I'm sure MS wants some of that pie.

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  • [–] 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

    Same with Google allowing literal malware to advertise themselves posing as legitimate apps that show above the actual app's website.

    They even let ads spoof the display domain name to match the official website (and do no checks for whether they actually own the display domain despite literally having the infrastructure to do that in their SEO tools) while redirecting to a different domain when you click the ad.

    John Hammond video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nlnuk8W2A0Y (also a good video to send to anyone who still thinks Macs "can't" get malware)

    Even if this is genuine incompetence and not malice, they're so disgustingly incompetent that they don't deserve to exist just the same as if it was malice.

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  • [–] 37 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    I assure you that your grandma does not "understand the security implications". This is like handing out loaded guns to preschoolers and telling them not to shoot each other.

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  • [–] 34 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    Now they say only enable it if you understand the security implications, but eventually they'll downplay the security implications and enable it by default.

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  • [–] 30 points 11 months ago

    Well at least they make malware installation automatic now. I’m sick of having to download and install it myself.

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  • [–] 29 points 11 months ago

    Yeah the malware is called Windows 11

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  • [–] 22 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

    If you understand the security implications, you probably won't enable it.

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  • [–] 17 points 11 months ago

    What a world we live in where not only does something like this happen, but that it's allowed to happen. Companies don't even get a slap on the wrist anymore, they can just do whatever they want now without any repercussions, that's what's really scary about this.

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  • [–] 16 points 11 months ago (4 children)

    At this rate we might finally see the year of the Linux desktop. I don't know anyone who likes Windows 11 it's been bad enough to convert even die-hard Windows fans to Linux

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  • [+] 3 points 11 months ago (4 children)
  • [–] 6 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    As much as I'd enjoy getting to work with more Macs I don't think workplaces will deploy them at scale for the cost alone

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  • [+] 1 point 11 months ago (2 children)
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    [–] 16 points 11 months ago

    Will be installed by default, unremovable, runs in the background, with full access to all personal files.

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  • [–] 15 points 11 months ago

    I was just thinking the other day how agentic AI is akin to letting an elderly person using a computer. You can tell it what to do, but you'll end up with it clicking the very first link in g••gle and downloading 3 viruses and ending up with 40 new unwanted and potentially malicious browser extensions.

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  • [–] 15 points 11 months ago

    "Copilot, download the latest drivers and make it easy for me to update them" and it gives you some Driver Helper malware

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  • [–] 13 points 11 months ago

    "AI applications introduce novel security risks, such as cross-prompt injection (XPIA), where malicious content embedded in UI elements or documents can override agent instructions, leading to unintended actions like data exfiltration or malware installation."

    Exfiltrating data and installing malware are the tasks it was designed to do, the warning is that it might be done by someone other than Microsoft I guess.

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  • [–] 18 points 11 months ago
    [–] 6 points 11 months ago

    I'll never enable it precisely because I understand the security and privacy implications. Windows would be a nice OS without all this crap, bloatware and services to "improve the user experience" and which nobody needs.

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  • [–] 6 points 11 months ago
    [–] 6 points 11 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    I mean, a browser can also install malware on your PC

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago* (1 child)

    Yeah, but there is a big difference between you going to Google looking for Nvidia drivers and downloading them from nvidia.definitelynotmalware.me versus asking AI to download the Nvidia drivers and it pulling them from nvidia.definitelynotmalware.me without telling you.

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago

    Glad I left.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago

    How about you only release it once you do?

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  • 13 comments in c/privacy@programming.dev view that post
    [–] 14 points 11 months ago* (5 children)

    Every time I read about these "upgrades", I'm glad I ditched Windows on my personal computers.

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago (4 children)

    Yeah, I still need Windows on my laptop for some schoolwork(GX works 2 for PLCs), that I can't get to work on linux.

    Really happy with Fedora KDE though, some things require a bit of fiddling, but I do enjoy the troubleshooting process.

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago* (3 children)

    That's why I specified personal devices. My work laptop runs Windows 11. But it belongs to the company, so I don't really care.

    For other shit of mine that requires Windows (like vehicle diagnostics software), I just run a VM.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago (2 children)

    Hmm, I suppose maybe I could get GX Works to work on my main pc. It's a pirated copy that our teacher handed out to us, but iirc the installation was fairly simple.

    I haven't ever used a VM though, will I have to set it up every time, or can I save the VM and start it up whenever I want to?

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  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 child)

    I haven’t ever used a VM though, will I have to set it up every time, or can I save the VM and start it up whenever I want to?

    It's just like a physical machine, except launched in a window from your desktop (or wherever you put the VM launcher). And yes, if you set it up correctly, it saves its state when it shuts down.

    I use virt-manager, which is just a GUI on top of KVM/qcow. Works really well. It's available for pretty much every Linux distro.

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  • [–] 14 points 11 months ago
    [–] 11 points 11 months ago

    I am guessing that the next version of Windows will require a valid credit card number while being set up. That way Copilot can purchase and install other Microsoft products for you automatically in order to complete tasks it thinks you assigned it. Your acceptance of the EULA will be all the justification they need.

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  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago

    And yet the CEO is surprised everyone finds it underwhelming

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago

    as opposed to MS install thier proprietary spyware.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago (1 child)

    I mean, it's perfectly sound advice. Don't enable features you don't understand. There are already plenty of features in Windows that would be privacy or security problems if you enable them without understanding what they do or how to use them.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago

    MS: We are not responsible if your computer tries to kill you if you enable AI.

    User: Okay!?

    MS: enables AI by default

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  • 4 comments in c/TooDumbToImagine@europe.pub view that post
    [–] 16 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 child)

    Coming from a company that keeps justifying taking control away from the user for "security reasons" that's precious. I bet these assholes will make that feature opt-out only next.

    It never was about security, it always was about forcing stupid features down the users throats to please the company's corporate branch.

    I'll just sit back and enjoy the show as Windows 11's users commission that their files for corrupted or deleted by a "hallucinating" AI agent.

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago

    Slight refinement to your comment:

    It was t about the features. It was about harvesting your data.

    Agree 100% that Microsoft doesn't give a squirt of fucking piss about your security.

    They'll make a whole show of it to the extent they have to for their shareholders and legal requirements but beyond that their philosophy is: fuck you

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  • [–] 4 points 11 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago*

    Don't have such a low opinion of your ability to understand things. The fact that you're here on the Fediverse shows you're able to learn new stuff that's not necessarily "easy."

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  • 1 comment in c/technology@midwest.social view that post
    [–] 4 points 11 months ago

    Don't worry, Microsoft will turn it on by default in next month's patches. Undocumented, of course.

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