Samsung disables Windows Update, putting users at risk
Likened to the Superfish problem that saw Lenovo install malware onto users’ PCs, disabling Windows Update could leave Samsung open to hacking and viruses
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Your support makes all the difference.Samsung intentionally stopped its computers from receiving important updates and could be putting them at risk of hacking and viruses, according to experts.
The company has disabled Windows Update in its laptops, which means that the computers can’t receive important updates from Microsoft. Those are often used to patch up security vulnerabilities that have been found, meaning that the Samsung computers could be more easily hacked into.
The company has installed a file called Disable_Windowsupdate.exe onto its computers, according to security researchers on the Sysnative forum. That Samsung-made file removes the application and shuts it down if users try to re-open it.
A Microsoft expert, Patrick Barker, contacted Samsung’s customer services department in an attempt to find out why the tool had been disabled. It appears that the company removed the tool because it will install default drivers from Microsoft, which might not work and so could stop hardware such as mice from functioning.
But Barker said that despite that the disabling should be considered malware and be reported as such. “Why would you ever disable WU in such a fashion (or in general), in a way a generic user cannot control, leaving them vulnerable?” Barker asked.
Samsung denied that it was blocking the updates.
"It is not true that we are blocking a Windows 8.1 operating system update on our computers," it said in a statement. "As part of our commitment to consumer satisfaction, we are providing our users with the option to choose if and when they want to update the Windows software on their products."
Barker compared the tool to Superfish, a piece of adware that was installed by Lenovo onto its computers and left their users vulnerable to hacking.
Samsung pulled out of the PC market in Europe last year, after declining sales. But the company still makes the computers outside of Europe.
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